Green hydrogen is the energy source of the moment. Although many barriers still need to be overcome in terms of cost and material supply to make its mass production a reality, hydrogen produced from renewable energy is the energy sector’s major bet for decarbonizing the economy over the next decade (and it is also one of Chile’s major strategies for capitalizing on its abundance of solar and wind energy).

But not all projects are large-scale. Solhyd, a project at the Belgian university KU Leuven, is beginning pilot production of solar cells for rooftops that can produce hydrogen from moisture in the air. How does it work? In simple terms, the top of the solar panel generates electricity, while hydrogen is produced in tubes located beneath the panel from water molecules extracted directly from the air via a membrane.

“Solhyd hydrogen panels are compatible with most modern commercial photovoltaic modules, which connect directly to our system. This allows us to benefit from ongoing developments and cost reductions in the photovoltaic industry,”, said Jan Rongé, a researcher at KU Leuven, to pv magazine. “To further enhance this synergy, Solhyd hydrogen panels are compatible with standard photovoltaic mounting structures.”

Hydrogen panels themselves do not store hydrogen and operate at very low pressure. “The hydrogen is collected centrally from the hydrogen panel plant and then compressed, if necessary,” he said Rongé told pv magazine. “Hydrogen can be stored indefinitely in compressed form. Of course, certain applications do not require compression or will use other storage methods.”

The hydrogen produced by Solhyd panels can be used in a wide range of applications, including mobility. In the short term, the startup is focusing primarily on medium-scale applications, such as backup power, logistics, or heavy-duty transportation, although in the long term it could be applied to other uses, such as large-scale ammonia production. 

Commercial production of these panels is expected to begin in 2026. Solhyd is in the process of becoming an independent company. 

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