SCOPE
Hydrogen production
Maturity Level
TRL 4
Development Level
Prototype
Protection Level
Patent
Hybrid solar concentrator to power high-temperature solid oxide electrolyzers
Entity:
CONVERGY technology is a hybrid solar concentration system that combines a thermal receiver and a photovoltaic receiver for the simultaneous generation of electricity and heat to power a solid oxide electrolyzer cell (SOEC). The technology uses a reflection system to concentrate solar radiation onto each of the two receivers, dynamically managing the ratio between heat and electricity generated to adapt the output to the operational conditions of both the receivers and the electrolyzer.
Challenges met
- Dynamic integration of heat and electricity: Management of the solar resource to flexibly produce electricity and heat according to the ratio required by the SOEC electrolyzer.
- Improved solar-to-hydrogen energy conversion efficiency: Substitution of up to 15% of electrical energy with thermal energy, which has more than twice the generation efficiency compared to electricity production.
- Reduction of energy losses: The patent application allows the use of DC-DC converters in the photovoltaic receiver, reducing electrical losses by up to 70% due to mismatches in the illumination profile.
Scope of application
Industrial sectors with high hydrogen consumption seeking to maximize production per unit area. The technology combines the use of SOEC electrolyzers with solar thermal energy utilization to increase energy efficiency.
Main publications
- D. Regany et al., “Enhancing efficiency of dense array CPV receivers with controlled DC-DC converters and adaptive microfluidic cooling under non-uniform solar irradiance,” Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, vol. 279, Jan. 2025.
- Crespo et al., “Design methodology and performance analysis of a novel cooling system for dense array CPV receivers,” Solar Energy, vol. 283, p. 113011, Nov. 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.solener.2024.113011.
Related projects
- SOLARX: Dispatchable concentrated Solar-to-X energy solution for high penetration of renewable energy (finançat per la Unió Europea, Programa Marc Horizon Europa).
- HyCPV-T: Hybrid high-Concentration PhotoVoltaic-Thermal solar receiver for high efficiency green hydrogen production (finançat per MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/ i per la Unió Europea NextGenerationEU/PRTR).
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