PANEL DIRECT HYDROGEN

It's possible to electrolyze ordinary water ( well, tap, etc) to hydrogen and oxygen without any circuit elements other than a solar panel, wire, pencil lead graphite electrodes, gas collectors out of plastic bottles. No special power supply, exotic electrode coatings or expensive solute chemicals. However, for practical purposes and good engineering, we will be using a charge controller and a 12 vdc battery from the panel, with common drain cleaner sodium hydroxide aka lye in the tap water.

I'll have to mount my panel up on the roof. Ideally the vertical or elevation would be tilted equal to my latitude, 34 degrees, facing the Sun. I was surprised to learn that magnetic declination (the difference between your magnetic compass reading and true North) can be as high as 20 degrees in the northern United States.

Anyway, there's an old sat dish up there so I used that.

I'm using 12 awg wire to bring the power down from the roof into a nearby shed where the electrolysis will happen. Ideally I would use the thicker 10 awg wire. The panel is closer to 45 degrees nothing perfect, and sat dishes are rated to hurricane force winds, which we had so all good.

With prototypes things are almost always more difficult but you learn which is important. My first attempt was a lesson in corrosion 😖😁 my beautiful 316L stainless steel and carbon fiber electrodes dissolved under the powerful electrified sodium hydroxide solution.

 

Oct 12 So, now I reimagined it as this

 

Just two Carbonized bricks graphite nickel alloy electrodes four plastic bottles 3d printed detachable clamps 5 gal bucket and 16 Gage wire

Nov 8 One month in, my hydrogen production is dropping off and my anode seems to be entrusting with whitish substance so I think it's oxidative accumulation reducing effective area. So, the research continues but this is how you do progress

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