Feasibility study of large scale hydrogen power-to-gas applications and cost of the systems evolving with scaling up in Germany,Belgium and Iceland

The use of hydrogen to store electricity is no longer utopian nor merely theoretical. Hydrogen applications such as Power-to-Gas systems are entering the market and some of them are ready to compete with other options in the near future. This means they have indeed a potential for profitability, especially if seen as large-scale storage solutions for the electricity surplus produced by variable renewable energy sources.In this study Power-to-Industry, Power-to-Mobility and Power-to-Power applications are chosen to be investigated and compared through levelized cost of hydrogen to identify the main cost drivers and consequently understand the possible solutions to reduce costs. The feasibility of the applications is discussed and analyzed in Germany, Belgium and Iceland, with mid and long-term perspectives, focusing the analysis on the advantage of scaling up.     

Hybridization strategies of power-to-gas systems and battery storage using renewable energy

In this paper, the hybrid concept to use renewable electricity to produce hydrogen with an electrolyser in combination with a battery is introduced and analysed. This hybrid system opens the possibility to optimise operation and to increase operation times of the system and thus to improve the techno-economic performance. To analyse the performance, a model has been developed, which designs and operates a single or hybrid power-to-gas system in a cost optimal manner. The underlying method is a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) approach, which minimises total system costs. The cost optimisation modelling is performed by a case study for a hybrid electrolyser/battery system directly coupled with a large PV power plant without grid connection. The results show, that batteries can support electrolyser operation in a reasonable way. This is however associated with higher hydrogen production costs and not competitive compared to the installation of additional electrolyser capacity or curtailment of electricity.     

Assessment of feasible strategies for seasonal underground hydrogen storage in a saline aquifer

Renewable energies fluctuate, resulting in temporary mismatches between demand and supply. The conversion of surplus energy to hydrogen and its storage in geological formations is one option to counteract this energy imbalance. This study evaluates the feasibility of seasonal storage of hydrogen produced from wind power in Castilla-León region (northern Spain). A 3D multiphase numerical model is used to test different extraction well configurations during three annual injection-production cycles in a saline aquifer. Results demonstrate that underground hydrogen storage in saline aquifers can be operated with reasonable recovery ratios. A maximum hydrogen recovery ratio of 78%, which represents a global energy efficiency of 30%, has been estimated. Hydrogen upconing emerges as the major risk on saline aquifer storage without using other cushion gases. However, shallow extraction wells can minimize its effects. Steeply dipping geological structures are key for an efficient hydrogen storage.     

Potential of renewable hydrogen production for energy supply in Hong Kong

Hong Kong is highly vulnerable to energy and economic security due to the heavy dependence on imported fossil fuels. The combustion of fossil fuels also causes serious environmental pollution. Therefore, it is important to explore the opportunities for clean renewable energy for long-term energy supply. Hong Kong has the potential to develop clean renewable hydrogen energy to improve the environmental performance. This paper reviews the recent development of hydrogen production technologies, followed by an overview of the renewable energy sources and a discussion about potential applications for renewable hydrogen production in Hong Kong. The results show that although renewable energy resources cannot entirely satisfy the energy demand in Hong Kong, solar energy, wind power, and biomass are available renewable sources for significant hydrogen production. A system consisting of wind turbines and photovoltaic (PV) panels coupled with electrolyzers is a promising design to produce hydrogen. Biomass, especially organic waste, offers an economical, environmental-friendly way for renewable hydrogen production. The achievable hydrogen energy output would be as much as 40% of the total energy consumption in transportation.     

Hydrogen from renewable electricity: An international review of power-to-gas pilot plants for stationary applications

An increasingly large percentage of power is being generated from renewable energy sources with intermittent and fluctuating outputs. Therefore there is a growing need for energy storage. With power-to-gas, excess electricity is converted into hydrogen by water electrolysis, which can be stored and, when needed, can be reconverted into electricity with fuel cells. Besides the energy vector for electricity, mobility and heat, hydrogen can be utilized as a raw material for the chemical industry or further be used for the synthesis of various hydrocarbon fuels such as methane.     

Green hydrogen production potential for developing a hydrogen economy in Pakistan

Pakistan's energy crisis can be diminished through the use of Renewable and alternative sources of energy. Hydrogen as an energy vector is likely to replace the fossil fuels in the future owing to the political, financial and environmental factors associated with the latter. In this regard it is imperative that conscious effort is directed towards the production of hydrogen from Renewable resources. Renewable energy resources are abundantly available in Pakistan. The need to produce Hydrogen from Renewable resources in Pakistan (or any developing economy) is investigated because it is possible to store vast amount of intermittent renewable energy for later use. Thus the introduction of Hydrogen in the energy supply chain implies the start of a Pakistan Hydrogen Economy. Many nations have developed the Hydrogen Energy Roadmap, and if Pakistan has to follow suite it is only possible through the employment of Renewable energy resources. This study estimates the potential of different Renewable resources available in Pakistan i.e. Solar, Wind, Geothermal, Biomass and Municipal Solid waste. An estimate is then made for the potential of producing hydrogen from various established technologies from each of these Renewable resources. A number of reviews have been published stating the availability and usage of Renewable energy in Pakistan; however no specific study has been focused on the use of Renewable resources for developing a Hydrogen economy or a power-to-gas system in Pakistan. This study concludes that that Biomass is the most feasible feedstock for developing a Hydrogen supply chain in Pakistan with a potential to generate 6.6 million tons of Hydrogen annually, followed by Solar PV that has a generation potential of 2.8 million tons and then Municipal solid waste with a capacity of 1 million ton per annum.     

Models,methods and approaches for the planning and design of the future hydrogen supply chain

The infrastructure of hydrogen presents many challenges and defies that need to be overcome for a successful transition to a future hydrogen economy. These challenges are mainly due to the existence of many technological options for the production, storage, transportation and end users. Given this main reason, it is essential to understand and analyze the hydrogen supply chain (HSC) in advance, in order to detect the important factors that may play increasing role in obtaining the optimal configuration. The objective of this paper is to review the current state of the available approaches for the planning and modeling of the hydrogen infrastructure. The decision support systems for the HSC may vary from paper to paper. In this paper, a classification of models and approaches has been done, and which includes mathematical optimization methods, decision support system based on geographic information system (GIS) and assessment plans to a better transition to HSC. The paper also highlights future challenges for the introduction of hydrogen. Overcoming these challenges may solve problems related to the transition to the future hydrogen economy.     

Scope and perspectives of industrial hydrogen production and infrastructure for fuel cell vehicles in North Rhine-Westphalia

A promising candidate that may follow conventional vehicles with internal combustion engines combines hydrogen from regenerative sources of energy, fuel cells and an electric drive train. For early fleets introduced the refuelling infrastructure needs to be in place at least to the extent of the vehicles operational reach. The question arises which strategies may help to keep initial hydrogen and infrastructure cost low? Industrial production, distribution and use of hydrogen is well-established and the volumes handled are substantial. Even though today's industrial hydrogen is not in tune with the long-term sustainable vision, hydrogen production and infrastructure already in place might serve as a nucleus for putting that vision into practice. This contribution takes stock of industrial production and use of hydrogen in North Rhine-Westphalia based on a recently finalized project. It demonstrates to which extent industrial hydrogen could be used for a growing number of vehicles and at which time additional capacity might need to be installed.     

Green hydrogen potentials from surplus hydro energy in Nepal

This paper studies the potentials of green hydrogen production from hydropower energy and its application in electricity regeneration and replacement of petroleum products from the transportation sector in Nepal. The potential surplus hydroelectric energy, and hydrogen production potential from the surplus energy considering different scenarios, is forecasted for the study period (2022–2030). The results showed that hydrogen production potential ranges from 63,072 tons to 3,153,360 tons with the utilization of surplus energy at 20% and 100% respectively, in 2030. The economic analysis of hydrogen from hydropower projects that electricity is valued based on per kg of hydrogen when the surplus electricity is provided at feasible lower price values compared to the US $1.17. This study concludes that hydrogen production from spilled hydro energy and its use in the transportation sector and independent electricity generation is a niche opportunity to lead the country towards sustainable energy solutions and an economy running on hydrogen.     

The value chain of green hydrogen for fuel cell buses – A case study for the Rhine-Main area in Germany

As an immanent necessity to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, the energy transition poses a major challenge for the next 30 years, as it includes a cross-sectoral increase of fluctuating renewable energy production, grid extension to meet regional electricity supply and demand as well as an increase of energy storage capacity. Within the power-to-gas concept, hydrogen is considered as one of the most promising solutions.The paper presents a scenario-based bottom-up approach to analyse the hydrogen supply chain to substitute diesel with fuel cell buses in the Rhine-Main area in central Germany for the year 2025. The analysis is based on field data derived from the 6 MW power-to-gas plant “Energiepark Mainz” and the bus demonstration project “H₂-Bus Rhein-Main”. The system is modelled to run simulations on varying demand scenarios. The outcome is minimised hydrogen production costs derived from the optimal scheduling of a power-to-gas plant in terms of the demand. The assessment includes the energy procurement for hydrogen production, different hydrogen delivery options and spatial analysis of potential power-to-gas locations.     

Hydrogen for heat: Using underground hydrogen storage for seasonal energy shifting in northern climates

To determine if a power-to-gas pilot-scale plant would be possible in Oregon, a feasibility study was conducted that assessed the technical, political, economic, environmental, safety, and policy aspects of a potential project in the region. The results of this study were submitted as part of Oregon State University – Cascades' entry to the Hydrogen Education Foundation's 2018 student design competition. The Pacific Northwest has a need for long term energy storage (seasonal energy shifting) due to seasonally available low-priced, low-carbon electricity. There appears to be the political motivation and the technical feasibility to install a demonstration-scale power-to-gas plant in the region to assess the technical and economic performance of the system when exposed to real-world boundary conditions. However, preliminary economic analyses show the system will be challenged by low capacity factor operation resulting in a levelized cost of hydrogen of $121.81/kg_H2 when only using otherwise curtailed electricity, or $8.84/kg_H2 when running continuously for 6 months per annum. To fund a pilot scale plant a renewable gas development surcharge of $0.18/therm is proposed as a way for willing customers to support the decarbonization mission. There is precedent within the utility for such an incentive, indicating that it would be approved by the utility commission and could be a viable path forward for a pilot-scale plant.     

Techno-economic calculation of green hydrogen production and export from Colombia

In the present paper a techno-economic hydrogen production and transportation costs to export from Colombia to Europe and Asia were determined using the open-source Python tools, such as WindPowerLIB, PVLIB, ERA5 weather data, and the Hydrogen-2-Central (H2C) model. Calculations were performed as well for Chile, for comparison as a regional competitor. In addition, a detailed overview of Colombia's energy system and national efforts for a market ramp-up of renewable energy and hydrogen is provided. The application of the model in different scenarios shows Colombia's potential to produce green hydrogen using renewable energies. The prices estimated are 1.5 and 1.02 USD/kgH₂ for 2030 and 2050 with wind power, and 3.24 and 1.65 USD/kgH₂ for 2030 and 2050 using solar energy. Colombia can become one of the most promising hydrogen suppliers to Asian and European countries with one of the lowest prices in the production and transportation of green hydrogen.