Abstract

RODRIGUEZ-CASTELLANOS, Andrés; LOPEZ-TORRES, Ernesto  and  SOLORZA-FERIA, Omar. Solar-Hydrogen-Fuel Cell Prototype as a Source of Renewable Energy Generation. J. Mex. Chem. Soc [online]. 2007, vol.51, n.2, pp.55-58. ISSN 1870-249X.

A small renewable energy prototype is presented, integrated by a solar photovoltaic module used for electrolysis of water where the resulting hydrogen was fed to a regenerative fuel cell for a clean electricity generation. A photovoltaic module provided DC power to an electrolyzer, to produce 56 cm³/min of hydrogen which is fed to a fuel cell and generate electricity. This prototype was designed and manufactured to show the future energy scenario of renewable energy. For water electrolysis, powders of RuCoO_x were used as anode and nanometric Pt powders as cathode catalysts in a polymer electrolyte membrane. Anode catalyst was prepared by pyrolysis processes and annealed at 550°C. The catalysts were applied to an electrode membrane assembly (MEA) and studied gal-vanostatically and under solar illumination in an electrolysis cell. A high electrochemical performance of the electrolyzer was obtained with 0.25 A cm^-2 at 1.87 V for each single MEA, at 30 °C and atmospheric pressure of 585 mmHg in Mexico City. The fuel cell stack prototype was also designed and manufactured with 10 MEAs containing 0.4 mg/cm² of 20 wt.% Pt as anode and cathode, to generate electrical energy to power on a portable 3.5 watts TV.

Keywords : Renewable energy; electrolyzer; hydrogen; fuel cell.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )