Simple though. Create a roll to roll manufacturing process for 2-10 mm clear plastic solar cells that are slightly denser than water. Dump them in a clear top tank or pool with water and an electrolyte that is lighter than the solar cells (Hydrogen Flakes), and let the sun produce hydrogen.
Creating hydrogen flakes for various frequencies of light and placing them in the same tank allows you to up the hydrogen output by capturing different frequencies of the available light. The efficiency of the hydrogen flakes doesn’t matter, as the same light will hit many flakes as it travels through the water. Mirroring or silvering the bottom of the tank will also increase the amount of hydrogen produced as the light will be reflected upward and through the Hydrogen Flakes for second pass.
The flakes will float as bubbles of hydrogen and oxygen are formed and stick to the edges of the hydrogen flakes, making them more buoyant. They will rise until the bubble become large enough to detach, they impact another flake, or they come to the surface where the bubbles will burst. They will then fall to the bottom of the tank to begin their journey again.
The ones that work will float to the top, the ones that are non functional will stay on the bottom, this allows for a simple self sorting method for removal of non functional hydrogen flakes.
This system will also produce low grade waste heat, as electrolysis is inherently inefficient. The waste heat can be converted into electricity using an LTD Stirling. Using a pool or tank with a black bottom, instead of a mirrored or silvered one, will increase the thermal absorption. With the waste heat the hydrogen flakes will produce a silver bottom is probably the better option.
It really can’t be that simple to solve the world energy problems, can it?
If they are all falling at different times, how do you tell “bad” from “just fallen”?
You let them self sort. Put up a wall on one side of the pool, that is an inch or two shorter than the depth of the water. Pour the ones you think are dead in. Run water at slow speed across the top. The water flow will push the good ones that are bubbling and floating into the rest of the pool, the non working ones will just stay there.
One thing that is great about the internet is sharing these ideas. I wish you luck.
I do hope that it will be this easy.