Direct hydrogen production
in one solar panel
CTF Solar is engaged in the development of solar-driven hydrogen panels – bringing its decades of CdTe thin-film expertise to one of the most active areas of clean energy research.
The work is carried out in collaboration with SunHydrogen, Inc., a US-based company specialising in photoelectrochemical technologies for hydrogen production using only sunlight and water. SunHydrogen’s proprietary know-how covers the full scope of hydrogen panel engineering: catalyst systems, reactor architecture, module design and integration, and semiconductor stabilisation for high-purity hydrogen generation and collection.
CdTe solar panels are produced at manufacturing facilities within the CNBM group – factories using specifically developed cell layout by CTF Solar – and supplied to SunHydrogen for hydrogen panel integration. CTF Solar’s R&D centre in Dresden contributes research expertise at the material and process level and can produce smaller modules through its pilot line for direct research collaboration.
From sunlight and water to hydrogen
Conventional approaches to renewable hydrogen require two separate systems: a solar panel generates electricity, which is then fed into an electrolyser to split water. Each conversion step means additional hardware, energy losses, and infrastructure cost.
The hydrogen panels developed through this collaboration work differently. The CdTe thin-film layer absorbs sunlight and generates the charge carriers that drive the reaction. SunHydrogen’s catalyst layer uses those charges to split water molecules directly – no electrolyser, no external power supply required. Hydrogen is collected; oxygen is released as the only byproduct.
The role of CdTe thin-film technology
CdTe is well suited to photoelectrochemical applications. Its spectral response captures a broad range of solar light efficiently, and its thin-film format allows large-area deposition at industrial scale.
CTF Solar’s three decades of CdTe development provide the materials and process foundation for optimising CdTe as a hydrogen panel substrate. Research at the Dresden facility focuses on the interface between the CdTe layer and the catalyst system, where charge transfer and long-term stability are determined.
What makes this industrially relevant
Photoelectrochemical hydrogen production has been the subject of research for many years. The limiting factor has always been the gap between laboratory results and manufacturable, durable panels.
This collaboration addresses that gap directly. CdTe thin-film deposition is an established industrial process, already running at hundreds of megawatts of annual capacity within the CNBM group. SunHydrogen’s integration technology is designed to work with that manufacturing base – not as a laboratory prototype, but as a system engineered for production scale.
Technology status
The programme has advanced from laboratory research to pre-commercial scale in under two years.
Working with us
CTF Solar is open to discussions with industrial partners and research institutions in the areas of solar hydrogen research, pilot panel supply, and process integration into renewable energy systems.
SunHydrogen, Inc. – technology partner
CTF Solar’s solar hydrogen work is developed in collaboration with SunHydrogen, Inc. (USA). SunHydrogen’s proprietary technology covers hydrogen module design and integration, catalyst systems, reactor architecture, and semiconductor stabilisation for high-purity hydrogen production. For further information on SunHydrogen’s technology, visit sunhydrogen.com