If the source power was solar would it matter if the energy derived was less than the power put in?....I don’t think we would run out of sun for about 5 billion years. The question is, could we ramp up a big enough project to make the solar transfer to salt solution to hydrogen to make it feasible commercially?
One square meter of solar panel will make about a dimes worth of electricity per day.
There is just not enough concentrated power in sunlight to pay for the panels.
BTW, The electricity is more valuable than the hydrogen.
If you are interested in solar energy, you can let mother nature concentrate it for you as captured in biomass, wind or hydro power.
That's the wrong question. The correct question is,
"If this method ran on solar radiation, would it be the most cost-effective way of getting useful energy from it?"