“This will provide a whole new circular economy and make more hydrogen [easily] available as it can be produced locally,” he said.
Currently, most hydrogen is produced from fossil fuels such as coal or natural gas, but the carbon footprint of its production can be significant. “Green” hydrogen, the purest form, is produced by electrolysis using renewable energy, which is expensive as the supply chain builds.
EAT’s first silicon-fueled Macera Si+ hydrogen generator was unveiled at Universiti Malaya last month to replace diesel generators that are widely used in building construction and serve as back-up power units for commercial buildings and data centers, among others.
“The culmination of our joint venture is the creation of the first-of-its-kind silicon-fueled hydrogen generator, a revolutionary technology poised to redefine energy standards,” said Nur Azwan Abu Osman, vice-chancellor of the University of Malaya, at the launch of the project on 13 December. .
The project is the result of three years of intensive research and partnership and “stands as a testament to our dedication and expertise,” he said. “The hydrogen generator represents a significant leap in green technology, offering an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional diesel generators.”
EAT’s collaboration with Universiti Malaya involves replacing the university’s buses, which currently run on fossil fuels, with electric buses, Osman said.
The Macera Si+ hydrogen generator has the capacity to generate up to 10 kilowatts of electricity per hour using a solution of Si+, water and sodium hydroxide as fuel, according to Lau.
Details of the hydrogen refueling station’s capacity will be decided in due course, Lau said.
The energy in the nanopores of Si+, which can be stored in powder form, is not released until it is introduced into the underlying solution, Lau said, adding that it is the world’s first distributable long-term energy storage material at scale on the network.
Si+ can be stored and transported in containers, Lau said, adding that a standard 20-foot-equivalent single container of the material can produce up to 2.5 tons of hydrogen.
Lau said Si+ manufacturing factories could be located in, for example, Saudi Arabia, where there is excess power generation capacity, allowing that power to be stored in a solid state and sent anywhere in the world.
Hydrogen still has a long way to go before it emerges as a truly environmentally friendly fuel
Hydrogen still has a long way to go before it emerges as a truly environmentally friendly fuel
“This eliminates the biggest storage and transportation problem [hydrogen].”
The “cradle-to-gate” carbon footprint of hydrogen production through the use of Si+ could become “carbon negative,” Lau said. That means more carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere than is emitted when recycled silicon from end-of-life solar panels is used as a feedstock, he said.
The footprint can reach minus 20 kg of carbon dioxide equivalent per kg of hydrogen produced using recycled silicon, Lau added.
The silicon can be easily transported as well as converted into hydrogen and further into electricity through the generator, according to Wei Yang Teoh, associate professor of engineering at Universiti Malaya.
“In other words, the technology enables the redistribution of renewable hydrogen or energy around the world in a safe, practical and efficient way,” he said. “This is the biggest hurdle in realizing the global hydrogen economy.”
