10110786Producing Renewable Hydrogen from Unpurified Water using Floating Photovoltaic Powered Direct ElectrolysisClosedMissionsInnovate UKHydroStar is a dynamic and innovative company developing Next Generation electrolyser systems which can use impure water as feedstock and remove rare/expensive materials from the design entirely. HydroStar also develops safe and efficient metal hydride hydrogen storage systems which have no leakage and can be used for the compression of hydrogen without the need for mechanical compressors. HydroStar works closely with numerous industrial businesses across the South West and Wales, who face conflicting challenges of high energy costs whilst needing to decarbonise. To achieve this, businesses are investigating green hydrogen production to augment onsite natural gas usage, however green hydrogen production is often limited by land availability for renewables and high costs compared to natural gas. This project will develop a fully integrated system of NextGen electrolysers, metal hydride storage and floating solar, which can produce hydrogen directly from the water source upon which the floating system is placed without any requirement for water purification. This will involve hydrogen production from a non-static base (moving solar system due to wave movement), with specific designs being undertaken to incorporate electrolysers and the specific optimised power delivery required into the floating solar system. The metal hydride storage will also be fully integrated, acting as a stabilisation method similar to a boat keel to achieve more stable conditions for electrolyser operation. The removal of all water purification plant costs and the reducing of substantial costs of materials within electrolyser designs, along with reducing high land costs, represents a method for greatly reducing the cost of hydrogen production. To achieve this, HydroStar is collaborating with Northumbria University, University of New South Wales (UNSW) and Umax Energy. HydroStar and Northumbria will focus on electrolyser and metal hydride technology development from the UK side, leveraging HydroStar's real world electrolyser/metal hydride optimisation and system designs, with Northumbria's knowledge of electrode designs and materials. From the Australian side, Umax and UNSW will focus on floating solar systems optimised entirely for hydrogen production and storage, leveraging Umax's experience with large scale renewable systems for hydrogen production, and UNSW's expertise in catalysts and floating solar designs for integration with hydrogen production/storage technologies.