Design and evaluation of hydrogen electricity reconversion pathways in national energy systems using spatially and temporally resolved energy system optimization

For this study, a spatially and temporally resolved optimization model was used to investigate and economically evaluate pathways for using surplus electricity to cover positive residual loads by means of different technologies to reconvert hydrogen into electricity. The associated technology pathways consist of electrolyzers, salt caverns, hydrogen pipelines, power cables, and various technologies for reconversion into electricity. The investigations were conducted based on an energy scenario for 2050 in which surplus electricity from northern Germany is available to cover the electricity grid load in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW).A key finding of the pathway analysis is that NRW's electricity demand can be covered entirely by renewable energy sources in this scenario, which involves CO₂ savings of 44.4 million tons of CO₂/a in comparison to the positive residual load being covered from a conventional power plant fleet. The pathway involving CCGT (combined cycle gas turbines) as hydrogen reconversion option was identified as being the most cost effective (total investment: € 43.1 billion, electricity generation costs of reconversion: € 176/MWh).Large-scale hydrogen storage and reconversion as well as the use of the hydrogen infrastructure built for this purpose can make a meaningful contribution to the expansion of the electricity grid. However, for reasons of efficiency, substituting the electricity grid expansion entirely with hydrogen reconversion systems does not make sense from an economic standpoint. Furthermore, the hydrogen reconversion pathways evaluated, including large-scale storage, significantly contribute to the security of the energy supply and to secured power generation capacities.