Publication date: 15th December 2025
The development of stand-alone solar-to-fuel devices is essential for scalable and sustainable hydrogen production. We present an integrated photoelectrochemical–photovoltaic (PEC–PV) system that employs a dichroic optical filter to fully exploit the solar spectrum. By spectrally splitting sunlight, high-energy photons are directed to a PEC reactor for water oxidation, while lower-energy photons are transmitted to a photovoltaic (PV) cell for electricity generation, enabling simultaneous hydrogen and power production without external bias.
As a proof of concept, a molybdenum-doped bismuth vanadate (Mo:BiVO₄) photoanode was coupled with a commercial silicon (Si) solar cell, and both solar-to-hydrogen (STH) and power conversion efficiencies (PCE) were quantified. The dichroic-based PEC–PV system demonstrated enhanced performance upon introducing a hole scavenger, which facilitates bias-free operation and opens pathways for coupling hydrogen generation with parallel oxidative reactions of industrial relevance.
The modular architecture enables independent optimization of the PEC and PV components, as well as of the dichroic filter, allowing fine-tuning of the spectral distribution to balance STH and PCE. The optimized configuration achieved a combined Solar-to-X efficiency of 18.2%, approaching the standalone Si-PV performance (18.4%) and distributed between chemical fuel generation (7.1% STH) and electrical power output (11.1% PCE).
Importantly, this performance was achieved using low-cost, commercially available Si PV cells, making the architecture competitive with state-of-the-art PEC-PV systems based on expensive multi-junction modules, as well as commercial PV-electrolysis setups. By leveraging optical selectivity and modular integration, this approach advances the development of practical, high-efficiency Solar-to-X technologies for sustainable energy applications.
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