The inspiration for the novel concept driving the FreeHydroCells project comes from the combined need to absorb as much solar energy as possible in a material system while at the same time making sure the clean solar energy can be used productively by humans with minimal loss, in this case to make hydrogen fuel.

FreeHydroCells is a high-risk/high reward project, but if fully successful, the project would provide cheap, easily up-scaled, safe, efficient, modular solar-to-chemical energy conversion in a novel buried many-junction photoelectrochemical system design that would have the potential to make clean hydrogen a viable option for global energy supply.

The new system would use sustainable materials, be entirely ecologically friendly, circular, and designed to be readily up-scaled for European-led global commercialisation.

It is difficult to overstate the extent to which cheap, efficient green hydrogen energy could impact on not only the climate crisis, but also crises caused by energy and resource scarcity, and the environmental damage wrought by climate change. FreeHydroCells aims to meet this ambitious challenge.

AMBER Researcher & Coordinator: PI Justin Holmes, UCC