(201c) Designing Experimental and Computational Methods to Probe the Diurnal Performance of Electrochemical Solar-Driven CO2r Systems

Integrated electrochemical solar-driven CO₂ reduction (CO₂R) reactors are a promising technology class towards decarbonizing the chemicals manufacturing industry. Designing integrated CO₂R solar fuels reactors requires the careful co-design of the electrochemical and photovoltaic components and imposes unique environmental operating conditions on the system. In our efforts to investigate the effects of diurnal operation on electrochemical solar fuels performances we developed a temperature and potential-dependent diurnal and annual model using an experimental CO₂R platform of various Cu-based electrocatalysts. The model seeks to streamline the translation of experimental solar-driven electrochemical research to real-world implementation of solar fuels technologies. Using this model, we simulated the diurnal output of a solar-driven CO₂R device under conditions of isolated diurnal irradiance and combined environmental factors (e.g., irradiation, ambient temperature, etc.) and predicted the performance of solar-driven electrochemical reactors on the diurnal, seasonal, and annual timescales. We then modeled the annual ethylene generation for a scaled 1 MW solar farm at three different locations (Beijing, CN; Sydney, AUS; Barstow, CA) to determine the consequences of local meteorological climates on photovoltaic-electrochemical (PV-EC) CO₂R product output. Combining these results with recent reports into solar-driven electrocatalysis (e.g., photoelectrochemistry, PV-EC), we have identified areas of future research relevant to the development of integrated electrochemical solar fuels systems capable of maintaining high product output and selectivity under conditions of diurnal cycling.