A highly efficient and robust heterogeneous photocatalytic hydrogen evolution system was established for the first time by using the CoP/CdS hybrid catalyst in water under solar irradiation. The H2-production rate can reach up to 254,000 μmol h(-1) g(-1) during 4.5 h of sunlight irradiation, which is one of the highest values ever reported on CdS photocatalytic systems in the literature.