the panel is of 5 watt and 12 volts, has an area of 1 sq feet
Update:
how long will it take to get hydrogen
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You could and it would take a long time to collect a lot of hydrogen.
Yes, but you will not get abundant hydrogen and oxygen.
It helps to put a little alkali in the water, that makes it conduct better. Don’t asperse the affairs that came with the solar panel, but instead, attach added affairs as electrodes. In ablaze sun, you should see a accomplished brume of bubbles advancing off the electrodes.
Unfortunately, the electrode bearing the oxygen will bound burn (tarnish), and stop the reaction. You could use an electrode that doesn’t tarnish, but it ability be expensive. Nuclear submarines accomplish oxygen from baptize in this way, and use platinum for the electrodes. Maybe you would accept luck with a graphite rode@@
Yes you can butt …
The amount you can make depends on the Watts,
more Watt ~~~> more hydrogen ( & oxygen)
you need 1,75 to 2 Volts DC per cell,
since you have 12V DC available you may make an electrolyzer with 7 plates is 6 cells,
each Cell then gets 2 volts.
Make a sandwich with those 7 plates, ( small plates since you have only 0,42 amps) .
316L SS will do nickel would be even better but harder to find & more expensive.
You need distilled water and Potassium hydroxide as an electrolyte,
to make the water conductive.
If you like to collect and stock up your hydrogen be very carefull,
the mixed gas should not be collected in a container because OxyHydrogen is very explosive;
You need split cells to collect Hydrogen only and vent off the Oxygen,
this makes it more complex & comes @ a higher cost.
My guess is with only 5 watts its not economical..
Source(s): I’m a chemist and have years of experience in electrolysis & Oxyhydrogen production.
But Wiki is not a bad source to look for the basic science behind this.
Yes, but you will not get much hydrogen and oxygen.
It helps to put a little salt in the water, that makes it conduct better. Don’t immerse the wires that came with the solar panel, but instead, attach additional wires as electrodes. In bright sun, you should see a fine mist of bubbles coming off the electrodes.
Unfortunately, the electrode producing the oxygen will quickly oxidize (tarnish), and stop the reaction. You could use an electrode that doesn’t tarnish, but it might be expensive. Nuclear submarines make oxygen from water in this way, and use platinum for the electrodes. Maybe you would have luck with a graphite rod (harvest it from the inside of a dead carbon-zinc D cell).
you will get twice as much hydrogen , from one side , as oxygen from the other .
Yes, there are vids on how to do this on youtube.