It already works: there are several approaches to using solar energy to split water and produce hydrogen. Unfortunately, this “green” hydrogen has so far been more expensive than “gray” hydrogen from natural gas.
A study by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and the Technical University of Berlin now shows how green hydrogen from sunlight can become profitable: part of the hydrogen is used to upgrade raw biomass-derived chemicals into high-value chemicals for industry. This co-production concept is very flexible; the same plant can be used to produce different by-products as required.
