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Flexible Connector
Hydrogen &
Oxygen
Gathering
Photovoltaic Cells
Water Intake
Photovoltaic Electrolysis
SYSTEM OPERATION
The Photovoltaic driven High Temperature Electrolysis unit with sun tracker water pump
and actuator is 360 microns in diameter and 50 microns deep. It is equipped with a 10
micron diameter flexible "tail# that is 30,000 microns long - and wrapped around the PV/
Electrolysis unit in an archimedes spiral that is 1,100 microns in diameter. Thus, the
entire device fills a working area that is circumscribed by a hexagon with a 550 micron
side. The area of this hexagon is 785,918 square microns. This is 820 devices per
square inch. To process a square inch of material in the manner required, to a depth of
50 microns - costs $15 per square inch. Thus, each device is 1.83 cents.
1,000 panels - with molded in place header between the PET sheets, and standing
tanks, cost less than $90,000 installed. Yet produce 75.7 metric tons of hydrogen from
681.6 kiloliters of DI water. At $1.00 per kiloliters, this water costs $681.60 per year.
At 6.5% discount rate and a 30 year life a string of 1,000 panels costs $6,891.97 and
adding in the $681.60 recurring cost, and another $2,700 for maintenance, we have a
total cost of $10,273.57 per year and a price for hydrogen of $135.71 per metric ton.
Not counting the value of oxygen produced. 605.9 metric tons of oxygen valued at $200
per ton by industry and medical consumers is worth $121,180 per year. Elemental
hydrogen sold at $3,000 per metric ton is worth $227,100 per year.
1,000 panels cover 3/4 of an acre and produce 75.7 metric tons - which is 101 metric
tons per acre per year from 909 kiloliters of water per year at a cost of $120,000 per
acre and a recurring cost of $4,508.80 per acre per year.
An initial installation of 300 acres using 400,000 panels costing $36,000,000 to build
and install and $1,352,640 per year to operate and maintain (a crew of 16 working four
shifts of 42 hours each (4 per shift) plus parts) produce 30,300 metric tons of hydrogen
plus 242,200 metric tons of oxygen each year.
A three year development cycle costing $21 million is needed to get into production and
then another year of site work is needed along with $36 million for system is needed to
install 300 acres to produce this much hydrogen and oxygen.
Offering 41.4% per year rates of return compounded over the four year period,
according to the following schedule;
After Startup the operation will pay the first $20,543,801 per year from sales of
hydrogen and oxygen over the first seven years of operations to repay a total of
$143,806,609 by year ten secured by the facility when completed, and all operations
prior.
! 30,300 metric tons per year is equivalent to 32.8 million gallons per year
! 30,300 metric tons per year is equivalent to 1,945 barrels per day
This quantity of energy each year is equivalent to 28 gasoline stations. Each station
requires 10.8 acres (4.4 ha) - with 14,500 panels in 58 strings of 250 in an area 464 ft x
1,000 ft. These need not be co-located to each station.