SunHydrogen Launches Solar-to-Hydrogen Pilot at UT Austin
September 2025 – Austin, Texas
SunHydrogen has begun operating a solar-to-hydrogen pilot system at the University of Texas at Austin’s Hydrogen Protothub, marking a key milestone in demonstrating its direct solar hydrogen production technology.
The six-month pilot features 16 solar-hydrogen reactors spread over a total active surface area of 30 m², relying solely on sunlight and water as inputs. The system is designed to test key performance indicators such as efficiency, durability, and scalability, while gathering real-world operational data to guide commercialization.
Unlike traditional green hydrogen pathways that use solar power to drive electrolysis, SunHydrogen’s approach directly integrates light-absorbing materials with catalysts to produce hydrogen in a single-step photoelectrochemical process. The company believes this can reduce both system complexity and overall costs.
SunHydrogen is working closely with GTI Energy, which is providing support for safety reviews and onsite system integration.
Tim Young, CEO of SunHydrogen, highlighted the significance of the pilot:
“This project allows us to evaluate our technology outside of laboratory conditions, giving us critical insights into performance and reliability as we move toward large-scale deployment.”
If successful, the pilot could help validate a new pathway for scalable, low-cost green hydrogen production, contributing to the global push for decarbonization.
