Sparc Hydrogen has entered into a technology collaboration agreement with US-based SunHydrogen to integrate and test the company’s solar-driven hydrogen production modules within Sparc Hydrogen’s concentrated solar reactors.
According to Sparc Hydrogen, preliminary laboratory testing of SunHydrogen’s modules demonstrated solar-to-hydrogen (STH) efficiencies above 10%, while also indicating that the modules could operate under higher solar fluxes at moderate solar concentrations.
In an ASX announcement, Sparc Hydrogen CEO Alana Barlow said the results supported the company’s strategy of working with developers of photocatalyst and photoelectrochemical technologies.
“We’ve seen solar-to-hydrogen efficiencies above 10% in the lab, and evidence that higher solar concentration increases hydrogen yield,” Barlow said.
The Technology Collaboration and Intellectual Property Protection Agreement provides for laboratory testing at increasing solar concentrations before potential on-sun testing at Sparc Hydrogen’s SHARP pilot facility at Roseworthy in South Australia.
Subject to successful completion of agreed laboratory milestones, the parties plan to undertake pilot-scale testing followed by a jointly funded techno-economic analysis. The assessment is intended to examine the levelised cost of hydrogen and potential cost reductions from integrating the two technology platforms.
SunHydrogen President and CEO Tim Young said the testing provided external validation of the company’s modules.
“Seeing our modules tested above 10% solar-to-hydrogen efficiency, and produce more hydrogen as sunlight is concentrated, is exactly the kind of outside validation our shareholders want to see,” Young said.
The collaboration will be overseen by a joint steering committee, with progression between stages dependent on agreed technical milestones and go/no-go decisions. Sparc Hydrogen will provide its concentrated solar reactor system and SHARP testing facility and undertake laboratory and pilot-scale testing.
The agreement also sets out intellectual property protections, with each party retaining ownership of its existing intellectual property. Improvements to each company’s technology will remain with that party, while jointly developed intellectual property will be subject to agreed ownership and licensing arrangements.
The agreement has a 24-month term unless terminated earlier. During the term, Sparc Hydrogen has exclusive rights in certain concentrated-light applications involving SunHydrogen’s technology above an agreed solar concentration threshold.
Subject to successful completion of the collaboration, Sparc Hydrogen also has an 18-month irrevocable option to negotiate either a long-term commercial supply agreement or manufacturing licence for SunHydrogen’s modules for integration into its reactors.
Sparc Hydrogen said the agreement was not expected to have a material near-term financial impact, but described it as strategically significant as the companies move from laboratory testing towards pilot-scale validation and economic assessment.
The content of this article is based on information supplied by Sparc Technologies Limited. For more information, please refer to the official company announcement and communications from Sparc. Please consult a licensed and/or registered professional in this area before making any decisions based on the content of this article.
