Modelling, experimentation and scaling of solar fuel processing devices

Solar radiation is the most abundant energy source available but it is distributed and intermittent, thereby necessitating its storage via conversion to a fuel for practical use (e.g. hydrogen or carbohydrates). Solar thermo-chemical and photo-electro-chemical approaches, and combinations thereof, provide viable routes for the direct synthesis of solar fuels. The former make use of solar radiation as the energy source of process heat to drive endothermic chemical reactions, while the latter use photon energy for charge generation to drive electrochemical reactions. Both approaches involve complex interactions between multi-mode heat transfer, multiphase flow, charge transfer, and chemical reaction. This presentation will summarize our efforts in developing modeling frameworks and experimental platforms for the understanding and design of functional solar fuel processing devices.