Solar hydrogen production from direct photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting is the ultimate goal for a sustainable, renewable and clean hydrogen economy. While there are numerous studies on solving the two main photoelectrode (PE) material issues i.e. efficiency and stability, there is no standard photocell or photoreactor used in the study. The main requirement for the photocell or photoreactor is to allow maximum light to reach the PE. This paper presents an overview of the PE configurations and the possible photocell and photoreactor design for hydrogen production by PEC water splitting. (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Professor T. Nejat Veziroglu.