Our Technology
What is Photocatalytic Water Splitting (PWS)
PWS is an artificial photosynthesis process used for the dissociation of water into hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2), using light.
Three key ingredients for successful PWS are:
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Sunlight
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Water
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High efficiency, durable photocatalyst materials
The key barrier to the commercialisation of PWS to date has been the development of high efficiency photocatalysts and scalable, low-cost reactors.
The PWS process mimics natural photosynthesis in plants, but instead of making sugars and oxygen, it produces clean hydrogen fuel.
Sparc Hydrogen's unique approach
Photocatalytic water splitting (PWS) splits water into hydrogen and oxygen, using only sunlight (no electricity)
Sparc Hydrogen’s patent pending solar reactor is demonstrated to improve the efficiency of PWS to obtain hydrogen from water. Given lower infrastructure requirements and energy use the ‘Sparc Green Hydrogen’ process has the potential to deliver a cost advantage over electrolysis along with being more flexible and scalable.
What makes our technology different?
Sparc Hydrogen’s patent pending solar reactor is one of the only known technologies globally combining concentrated solar with photocatalytic water splitting.
Advantages include:
reduced photocatalyst use
modular design
higher solar-to-hydrogen efficiencies
excess heat can be captured and used
Development pathway
Sparc Hydrogen JV established in Q1 2022
Preliminary TEA confirms commercial potential in Q4 2022
Development of solar reactor prototype for on-sun testing in 2023
Pilot plant construction H1 2025 and operation through mid-2026
Scale up and commercialisation
Roseworthy Pilot Plant Progression
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