HyperSolar to Test Breakthrough Renewable Natural Gas Process at the Salton Sea

HyperSolar has teamed with Suncentrix, a renewable energy development company, to explore the potential of producing hydrogen and renewable natural gas from the waters of the Salton Sea.

Hypersolar is a California start-up that last year was developing a thin solar concentrator to be applied on top of solar cells and increase their output of sustainable energy. But the company was unable to design a device that could be cost-effectively manufactured, Tim Young, CEO, told Just Means via email.

"While PV modules still need to be much cheaper, just replacing the solar cells or 66% of them in our case was not enough savings to warrant adding another layer to a module in terms of the cost of that layer and changing the manufacturing infrastructure needed," he said.

The Salton Sea is the largest lake in California with an area of 378 square miles in Imperial and Riverside counties. It has been used as a repository for agricultural wastewaters originating in both the Imperial and Coachella Valleys. Because of all the pollution it receives, its water is degrading and the surrounding area is plagued with dust issues.

The partnership wants to turn the problem into a sustainable venture. HyperSolar's technology can produce renewable hydrogen and natural gas using sunlight, water and carbon dioxide. It said these renewable gases can be used as direct replacements for traditional hydrogen and natural gas to power the world "without drilling or fracking, while mitigating CO2 emissions."

HyperSolar said the process was inspired by photosynthesis that plants use to harness solar energy. "We are developing a novel solar-powered nanoparticle system that mimics photosynthesis to produce renewable hydrogen from water. This hydrogen can then be reacted with carbon dioxide in a proprietary low cost reactor to produce methane, the primary component in pipeline natural gas," the company said in a release.

"The Salton Sea offers large volumes of two of the most important commodities required by our breakthrough solar powered technology to produce renewable hydrogen and natural gas: sunlight and organic rich water. The high concentration of organic materials from the agricultural runoff is nearly ideal for our process, and the high salinity will further enhance the efficiency of our technology," Tim said.

"By deploying HyperSolar's reactors on the increasingly exposed sea beds around the Salton Sea, we can produce energy for regional use, improve the water quality for wild life ecosystems, and decrease the rate of water evaporation to mitigate dust problems that contribute to poor air quality in the nearby area," added Steve Decker, Suncentrix's CEO and Managing Partner.

Image credit: HyperSolar