Techno-economic evaluation of two hydrogen supply options to southern Germany: On-site production and import from Portugal

Hydrogen production through electrolysis using renewable electricity is considered a major pathway and component for a sustainable energy system of the future. For this production pathway, a high renewable energy potential, especially in solar energy, is crucial. Countries like Germany with a high energy demand and low solar potential strongly depend on hydrogen import. In the present work, a case study with two alternative hydrogen supply options is conducted to evaluate the economic viability of solar hydrogen delivered to a hydrogen pipeline in Stuttgart, Germany. For both options, hydrogen is generated through an 8 MW alkaline electrolyser, solar powered and supported by grid-based electricity to meet the required load. The first option is based on a hydrogen production system that is positioned in Sines, Portugal, an area with high global radiation and proximity to a deep sea port. The hydrogen is processed by liquefaction and transported to Stuttgart by tanker ship via Hamburg and by truck. The second supply option uses an on-site hydrogen production system in Stuttgart.The work shows that the production costs in Sines with 2.09 €/kgH₂ (prices in €₂₀₂₁) are, as expected, significantly lower than in Stuttgart with 3.24 €/kgH₂. However, this price difference of 1.15 €/kgH₂ for hydrogen production drops to a marginal difference of 0.13 €/kgH₂ when considering the whole value chain to the delivery point in Stuttgart. If the waste heat from electrolysis is used in a district heating system in Stuttgart, the price difference is down to 0.03 €/kgH₂. The first supply option is dominated by costs for processing, especially liquefaction. These costs would need to be reduced to fully exploit the cost advantage of solar hydrogen production in Portugal. Also, a fundamental switch to pipeline transport of gaseous hydrogen should be considered. Both investigated hydrogen supply options show the potential to provide the pipeline in Stuttgart with hydrogen at lower costs than by using the alternative technology of steam reforming of natural gas.     

Prospects of green hydrogen in Poland: A techno-economic analysis using a Monte Carlo approach

The European Commission's plan to decarbonize the economy using innovative energy carriers has brought into question whether the national targets for developing electrolysis technologies are sufficiently ambitious to establish a local hydrogen production industry. While several research works have explored the economic viability of individual green hydrogen production and storage facilities in the Western European Member States, only a few studies have examined the prospects of large-scale green hydrogen production units in Poland. In this study, a Monte Carlo-based model is proposed and developed to investigate the underlying economic and technical factors that may impact the success of the Polish green hydrogen strategy. Moreover, it analyzes the economics of renewable hydrogen at different stages of technological development and market adoption. This is achieved by characterizing the local meteorological conditions of Polish NUTS-2 regions and comparing the levelized cost of hydrogen in such regions in 2020, 2030, and 2050. The results show the geographical locations where the deployment of large-scale hydrogen production units will be most cost effective.     

Prospects and challenges for green hydrogen production and utilization in the Philippines

The Philippines is exploring different alternative sources of energy to make the country less dependent on imported fossil fuels and to reduce significantly the country's CO₂ emissions. Given the abundance of renewable energy potential in the country, green hydrogen from renewables is a promising fuel because it can be utilized as an energy carrier and can provide a source of clean and sustainable energy with no emissions. This paper aims to review the prospects and challenges for the potential use of green hydrogen in several production and utilization pathways in the Philippines. The study identified green hydrogen production routes from available renewable energy sources in the country, including geothermal, hydropower, wind, solar, biomass, and ocean. Opportunities for several utilization pathways include transportation, industry, utility, and energy storage. From the analysis, this study proposes a roadmap for a green hydrogen economy in the country by 2050, divided into three phases: I–green hydrogen as industrial feedstock, II–green hydrogen as fuel cell technology, and III–commercialization of green hydrogen. On the other hand, the analysis identified several challenges, including technical, economic, and social aspects, as well as the corresponding policy implications for the realization of a green hydrogen economy that can be applied in the Philippines and other developing countries.     

Centralized and decentralized electrolysis-based hydrogen supply systems for road transportation – A modeling study of current and future costs

This work compares the costs of three electrolysis-based hydrogen supply systems for heavy road transportation: a decentralized, off-grid system for hydrogen production from wind and solar power (Dec-Sa); a decentralized system connected to the electricity grid (Dec-Gc); and a centralized grid-connected electrolyzer with hydrogen transported to refueling stations (Cen-Gc). A cost-minimizing optimization model was developed in which the hydrogen production is designed to meet the demand at refueling stations at the lowest total cost for two timeframes: one with current electricity prices and one with estimated future prices. The results show that: For most of the studied geographical regions, Dec-Gc gives the lowest costs of hydrogen delivery (2.2–3.3€/kgH₂), while Dec-Sa entails higher hydrogen production costs (2.5–6.7€/kgH₂). In addition, the centralized system (Cen-Gc) involves lower costs for production and storage than the grid-connected decentralized system (Dec-Gc), although the additional costs for hydrogen transport increase the total cost (3.5–4.8€/kgH₂).     

An analysis of hydrogen production from renewable electricity sources

Three aspects of producing hydrogen via renewable electricity sources are analyzed to determine the potential for solar and wind hydrogen production pathways: a renewable hydrogen resource assessment, a cost analysis of hydrogen production via electrolysis, and the annual energy requirements of producing hydrogen for refueling. The results indicate that ample resources exist to produce transportation fuel from wind and solar power. However, hydrogen prices are highly dependent on electricity prices. For renewables to produce hydrogen at $2 kg⁻¹, using electrolyzers available in 2004, electricity prices would have to be less than $0.01 kWh⁻¹. Additionally, energy requirements for hydrogen refueling stations are in excess of 20 GWh/year. It may be challenging for dedicated renewable systems at the filling station to meet such requirements. Therefore, while plentiful resources exist to provide clean electricity for the production of hydrogen for transportation fuel, challenges remain to identify optimum economic and technical configurations to provide renewable energy to distributed hydrogen refueling stations.     

Techno-economic assessment of hydrogen pipe storage in decommissioned wellbores sourced from surplus renewable electricity

Wellbore decommissioning is the final stage in the life cycle of any oil or gas well and involves placing acceptable well barriers to seal the wellbore. Operators have the obligation to decommission wells safely once they reach the end of their life. This study explores the prospects of repurposing near-to-decommission wellbores for pipe storage, forming a hydrogen-based energy storage system for containing hydrogen produced from surplus renewable electricity. It offers two pathways for hydrogen consumption, 1) Power-to-Hydrogen and 2) Power-to-Power. A conceptual design is presented to repurpose a wellbore into pipe storage to store hydrogen in its gaseous form. The storability of the pipe depends on pipe characteristics, including diameter and length as well as working pressure. Monte Carlo simulations are performed to calculate levelized cost of storage (LCOS) and levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) for the proposed method. The LCOS is in the range of 1.33 A$/(kgH₂) and 1.66 A$/(kgH₂). LCOH including the storage cost is obtained to be in the range of 5.22 A$/(kgH₂) and 6.50 A$/(kgH₂). This system can potentially integrate green hydrogen into local economies by managing decommissioning costs for the creation of a storage solution for green hydrogen.     

Curtailed electricity and hydrogen in Association of Southeast Asian Nations and East Asia Summit: Perspectives form an economic and environmental analysis

This study examines how well producing hydrogen via electrolysis from curtailed electricity from renewables could fulfil environmental benefits against the cost of producing hydrogen via electrolysis in the context of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the East Asia Summit (EAS). The cost of producing hydrogen via electrolysis ranges from less than USD² per kgH₂ when the electrolyser load factor is 1500 h or above to USD10 per kgH₂ or even higher when the electrolyser load factor is 500 h or lower. The amount of CO₂ emissions abated by hydrogen produced from curtailed electricity from renewables ranges from about 130 million tonnes to about 150 million tonnes for ASEAN and from about 18,000 million tonnes to about 19,000 million tonnes for EAS. Applying prevailing carbon prices to the CO₂ emissions abated, the possible monetised benefits of hydrogen produced via electrolysis from curtailed electricity from renewables range from about USD0.25 per kgH₂ to about USD9.00 per kg H₂ for ASEAN and from about USD0.50 per kgH₂ to about USD15.00 per kg H₂ for EAS. The results of the cost-benefit analysis suggest that the price of carbon needs to be about USD15 per tonne of CO₂ to justify hydrogen produced via electrolysis from curtailed electricity from renewables for both ASEAN and EAS. The results also suggest that high electrolyser load factors make hydrogen produced via electrolysis from curtailed electricity from renewables cost-competitive even under low carbon prices.     

Exploring the feasibility of green hydrogen production using excess energy from a country-scale 100% solar-wind renewable energy system

When planning large-scale 100% renewable energy systems (RES) for the year 2050, the system capacity is usually oversized for better supply-demand matching of electrical energy since solar and wind resources are highly intermittent. This causes excessive excess energy that is typically dissipated, curtailed, or sold directly. The public literature shows a lack of studies on the feasibility of using this excess for country-scale co-generation. This study presents the first investigation of utilizing this excess to generate green hydrogen gas. The concept is demonstrated for Jordan using three solar photovoltaic (PV), wind, and hybrid PV-wind RESs, all equipped with Lithium-Ion battery energy storage systems (ESSs), for hydrogen production using a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) system. The results show that the PV-based system has the highest demand-supply fraction (>99%). However, the wind-based system is more favorable economically, with installed RES, ESS, and PEM capacities of only 23.88 GW, 2542 GWh, and 20.66 GW. It also shows the highest hydrogen annual production rate (172.1 × 10³ tons) and the lowest hydrogen cost (1.082 USD/kg). The three systems were a better option than selling excess energy directly, where they ensure annual incomes up to 2.68 billion USD while having payback periods of as low as 1.78 years. Furthermore, the hydrogen cost does not exceed 2.03 USD/kg, which is significantly lower than the expected cost of hydrogen (3 USD/kg) produced using energy from fossil fuel-based systems in 2050.     

Green hydrogen-based pathways and alternatives: Towards the renewable energy transition in South America's regions–Part B

Hydropower compounds most of the energy matrix of the countries of the Latin America and Caribbean region (LAC). Considering the concern in reducing Green House Gases emissions (GHG) from hydropower plants and hydrogen production from fossil sources, green hydrogen (H₂) appears as an energy vector able to mitigate this impact. Improving the efficiency of the plant and producing renewable energy the element is an interesting alternative from the ecological and economic point of view. This study aims to estimate the potential of H₂ production from wasted energy, through the electrolysis of water in hydroelectric plants in Colombia and Venezuela. The construction of two scenarios allowed obtaining a difference, considering a spilled flow of 2/3 in the first scenario and 1/3 in the second. In Colombia, hydrogen production reached 3.39 E+08 Nm³ at a cost of 2.05 E+05 USD/kWh in scenario1, and 1.70 E+08 Nm³ costing 4.10 E+05 USD/kWh in scenario 2. Regarding the Venezuelan context, the country obtained lower production values of H₂, ranging between 7.76 E+07 Nm³.d^?1 and 4.31 E+07 Nm³.d^?1, and production cost between 9.45 E+09 USD/kWh and 1.89 E+10 USD/kWh. Thus, the final cost for the production and storage of H₂ was estimated at 0.2239 USD.kg^?1. Ultimately, Colombia and Venezuela have a large potential to supply the demand for nitrogen fertilizers with green ammonia production, apply green hydrogen in manufacturing and use the surplus for energy substitution of Liquefied Petroleum Gas - LPG. In Colombia, the chemical energy offered is equivalent to 6.681 E+11 MJ/year^?1 and in Venezuela, the result is equal to 1.697 E+11 MJ/year^?1 in the conservative scenario. Finally, the countries have great potential for the diversification of the energy matrix and the insertion of renewables in the system.     

Catching the hydrogen train: economics-driven green hydrogen adoption potential in the United Arab Emirates

The establishment of a hydrogen economy for domestic use and energy exports is increasingly attractive to fossil fuel exporting countries. This paper quantifies the potential of green hydrogen in the United Arab Emirates, using an integrated adoption model based on global technoeconomic trends and local costs. We consider the impact of varying hydrogen, oil, natural gas, and carbon prices on the economics of green H₂ adoption. In our Business-As-Usual (BAU) scenario, we observe economic viability in UAE industries between 2032 and 2038 at H₂ prices between $0.95/kg and $1.35/kg based on electrolyzer cost assumptions, solar forecasts and learning rates. We also note rapid scale-up to large export-oriented production capacities across our scenarios. However, if cost reductions slow or gas prices return to historical lows, additional interventions such as carbon pricing would be required to fully decarbonize in alignment with the 2050 net-zero target.     

Technical and cost analysis of imported hydrogen based on MCH-TOL hydrogen storage technology

The international hydrogen supply chain has been commercialized and promoted hydrogen trade. With the global energy transition, the two are expected to play a more important role and make hydrogen become a major international energy trade category similar to natural gas and LNG. This paper considers importing two hydrogen sources to Huizhou of China through MCH-TOL hydrogen storage technology from Saudi Arabia, which are produced from Natural gas + CCS and from renewable energy sources. It is estimated that the costs of dehydrogenation and purification after landing are 27.6 CNY/kgH₂ and 32.7 CNY/kgH₂ respectively, which are difficult to be competitive. Therefore, the strategy and goal of cost reduction are proposed. It is expected to control the costs of dehydrogenation and purification to less than 25 CNY/kgH₂, and explore the feasibility of developing large-scale and economically competitive hydrogen import business in China.     

CO2-free hydrogen production via microwave-driven methane pyrolysis

Hydrogen will play an integral role in achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. Many studies have been focusing on green hydrogen, but this method is highly electricity intensive. Alternatively, methane pyrolysis can produce hydrogen without direct CO₂ emissions and with modest electricity inputs, serving as a bridge from fossil fuels to renewable energies. Microwaves are an efficient method of adding the required energy for this endothermic reaction. This study introduces a new method of CO₂-free hydrogen production via non-plasma methane pyrolysis using microwaves and carbon products of this process. Carbon particles in the fluidized bed absorb microwave energy and create a hot medium (>1200 °C) in contact with flowing methane. As a result, methane decomposes into hydrogen and solid carbon achieving over 90% hydrogen selectivity with ∼500 cumulative hours of experiments This modular pyrolysis system can be built anywhere with access to natural gas and electricity, enabling distributed hydrogen production.     

Light metal hydride-based hydrogen storage system: Economic assessment in Argentina

Motivated by the high potential for hydrogen production from renewable resources in Argentina, the economic feasibility of employing light complex metal hydrides as hydrogen storage materials for mobile applications in Argentina is explored for the first time. Three main costs are analyzed: green H₂, H₂ storage system based on Mg(NH₂)₂–LiH and storage tank. Considering the production of H₂ by electrolysis using wind energy, a cost of ~5 USD/kg H₂ is obtained. The cost of hydride matrix is crucial and competitive values are viable only if the synthesis route starts from Mg⁰ and Li⁰, allowing reducing the total hydride matrix cost from ~2200 to ~4900 USD. The cost of a modular configuration tank with 4 kg of H₂ capacity is estimated to be ~5300–6700 USD. A cost ratio higher than of 2:1 is obtained between storage systems based on amides and high pressure systems.     

Evaluating the competitiveness and uncertainty of offshore wind-to-hydrogen production: A case study of Poland

Offshore wind is currently the most rapidly growing renewable energy source on a global scale. The increasing deployment and high economic potential of offshore wind have prompted considerable interest in its use for hydrogen production. In this context, this study develops a Monte Carlo-based framework for assessing the competitiveness of offshore wind-to-hydrogen production. The framework is designed to evaluate the location-based variability of the levelised cost of hydrogen (LCOH) and explore the uncertainty that exists in the long-term planning of hydrogen production installations. The case study of Poland is presented to demonstrate the application of the framework. This work provides a detailed analysis of the LCOH considering the geographical coordinates of 23 planned offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea. Moreover, it presents a comparative analysis of hydrogen production costs from offshore and onshore wind parks in 2030 and 2050. The results show that hydrogen from offshore wind could range between €3.60 to €3.71/kg H₂ in 2030, whereas in 2050, it may range from €2.05 to €2.15/kg H₂.     

Market penetration analysis of hydrogen vehicles in Norwegian passenger transport towards 2050

The Norwegian energy system is characterized by high dependency on electricity, mainly hydro power. If the national targets to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases should be met, a substantial reduction of CO₂ emissions has to be obtained from the transport sector. This paper presents the results of the analyses of three Norwegian regions with the energy system model MARKAL during the period 2005–2050. The MARKAL models were used in connection with an infrastructure model H2INVEST. The analyses show that a transition to a hydrogen fuelled transportation sector could be feasible in the long run, and indicate that with substantial hydrogen distribution efforts, fuel cell cars can become competitive compared to other technologies both in urban (2025) and rural areas (2030). In addition, the result shows the importance of the availability of local energy resources for hydrogen production, like the advantages of location close to chemical industry or surplus of renewable electricity.     

Exploring supply chain design and expansion planning of China's green ammonia production with an optimization-based simulation approach

Green ammonia production as an important application for propelling the upcoming hydrogen economy has not been paid much attention by China, the world's largest ammonia producer. As a result, related studies are limited. This paper explores potential supply chain design and planning strategies of green ammonia production in the next decade of China with a case study in Inner Mongolia. A hybrid optimization-based simulation approach is applied, considering traditional optimization approaches are insufficient to address uncertainties and dynamics in a long-term energy transition. Results show that the production cost of green ammonia will be at least twice that of the current level due to higher costs of hydrogen supply. Production accounts for the largest share of the total expense of green hydrogen (~80 %). The decline of electricity and electrolyser prices are key in driving down the overall costs. In addition, by-product oxygen is also considered in the model to assess its economic benefits. We found that by-product oxygen sales could partly reduce the total expense of green hydrogen (~12 % at a price of USD 85/t), but it also should be noted that the volatile price of oxygen may pose uncertainties and risks to the effectiveness of the offset. Since the case study may represent the favourable conditions in China due to the abundant renewable energy resources and large-scale ammonia industry in this region, we propose to take a moderate step towards green ammonia production, and policies should be focused on reducing the electricity price and capital investments in green hydrogen production. We assume the findings and implications are informative to planning future green ammonia production in China.     

Exploring the future of 2D catalysts for clean and sustainable hydrogen production

To address climate variations and the world's energy dilemma, hydrogen is an eco-friendly and sustainable energy carrier that may substitute for fossil fuel. A vast quantity of energy may be delivered or stored using hydrogen as a carrier. The prevailing hydrogen production mainly depends on fossil fuels making them one of today's most commonly used commodities. The Paris Agreement has been approved by 194 Parties as of right now (193 States plus the European Union) which pledged to achieve zero emissions targets as a response to the climate change threat on a global scale. Increasing the generation of green hydrogen from renewable sources of energy will help to provide little to no danger to the environment. Numerous techniques, such as photolysis, thermolysis, and electrolysis, can be used to synthesize sustainable hydrogen. Catalyst use can boost efficiency, whereas 2D catalysts can bring more efficiency in the production of green hydrogen that helps to minimize carbon dioxide emissions in the environment which is harmful to both environment and humans. The size of the worldwide green hydrogen marketing is anticipated to be USD 2565.7 million in 2028, growing at a 14% Compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) in terms of revenue. The primary topic covered in this review is the catalytic activity of 2D materials that may be utilized to create green hydrogen and increase manufacturing efficiency. A correlative study has been carried out through this article on the 2D catalysts such as MXene, graphene, and MOFs, of which graphene was found to be most effective in the production of hydrogen.     

Assessment of hydrogen supply solutions for hydrogen fueling station: A Shanghai case study

Shanghai is one of the fastest growing regions of hydrogen energy in China. This paper researched feasible hydrogen sources in both internal and external Shanghai. This study comes up 9 hydrogen production methods and 6 transportation routes, ultimately forms 12 hydrogen supply solutions according to local conditions. The total cost in each solution is estimated including processes of hydrogen production, treatments, storage and transportation based on different transport distance. The results indicate that hydrogen supply cost is above 50 CNY/kgH₂ for external hydrogen sources after long-distance transportation to Shanghai, such as hydrogen production from coal in Inner Mongolia and from renewables in Hebei. The total cost of on-site hydrogen production from natural gas can be controlled under 40 CNY/kgH₂. When the price of wind power reduces to 0.5 CNY/kWh, hydrogen production from offshore wind power cooperating with hydrogen pipeline network has the greatest development potential for Shanghai hydrogen supply.     

Prospects and challenges of renewable hydrogen generation in Bangladesh

The collective endeavor in reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 and halting the impending effects of global warming has found a promising solution-hydrogen, a clean energy carrier with diversified applications. It is practical to transition H₂ production at scale from fossil fuels to renewable sources. The choice of appropriate hydrogen production route from renewables would regionally vary, depending on various factors. While a majority of the developed countries have kickstarted their transition towards a hydrogen economy, developing countries like Bangladesh have been lagging. This review explores the potential of a hydrogen-based energy system for Bangladesh - commencing with a technological comparison of existing production paths from renewable resources; then moving on to a preliminary analysis of its available resources and technology options. Finally, a roadmap toward a hydrogen economy is envisioned, as the foundation for further study and public policy initiatives aimed at hastening Bangladesh's transition to a carbon-free energy system.     

Adapting the French nuclear fleet to integrate variable renewable energies via the production of hydrogen: Towards massive production of low carbon hydrogen?

Producing low-carbon hydrogen at a competitive rate is becoming a new challenge with respect to efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We examine this issue in the French context, which is characterised by a high nuclear share and the target to increase variable renewables by 2050. The goal is to evaluate the extent to which excess nuclear power could contribute to producing low-carbon hydrogen.Our approach involves designing scenarios for nuclear and renewables, modelling and evaluating the potential nuclear hydrogen production volumes and costs, examining the latter through the scope of hydrogen market attractiveness and evaluating the potential of CO₂ mitigation.This article shows that as renewable shares increase, along with the hydrogen market expected growth driven by mobility uses, opportunities are created for the nuclear operator. If nuclear capacities are maintained, nuclear hydrogen production could correspond to the demand by 2030. If not, possibilities could still exist by 2050.