Techno-Economic Assessment of Green Hydrogen Production in Australia Using Off-Grid Hybrid Resources of Solar and Wind

Behgol Bagheri (), Hiromu Kumagai, Michio Hashimoto and Masakazu Sugiyama
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Behgol Bagheri: Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST) The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8904, Japan
Hiromu Kumagai: Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST) The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8904, Japan
Michio Hashimoto: Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST) The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8904, Japan
Masakazu Sugiyama: Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST) The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8904, Japan

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 13, 1-19

Abstract: This study presents a techno-economic framework for assessing the potential of utilizing hybrid renewable energy sources (wind and solar) to produce green hydrogen, with a specific focus on Australia. The model’s objective is to equip decision-makers in the green hydrogen industry with a reliable methodology to assess the availability of renewable resources for cost-effective hydrogen production. To enhance the credibility of the analysis, the model integrates 10 min on-ground solar and wind data, uses a high-resolution power dispatch simulation, and considers electrolyzer operational thresholds. This study concentrates on five locations in Australia and employs high-frequency resource data to quantify wind and solar availability. A precise simulation of power dispatch for a large off-grid plant has been developed to analyze the PV/wind ratio, element capacities, and cost variables. The results indicate that the locations where wind turbines can produce cost-effective hydrogen are limited due to the high capital investment, which renders wind farms uneconomical for hydrogen production. Our findings show that only one location—Edithburgh, South Australia—under a 50% solar–50% wind scenario, achieves a hydrogen production cost of 10.3 ¢USD/Nm 3 , which is lower than the 100% solar scenario. In the other four locations, the 100% solar scenario proves to be the most cost-effective for green hydrogen production. This study suggests that precise and comprehensive resource assessment is crucial for developing hydrogen production plants that generate low-cost green hydrogen.

Keywords: resource assessment; green hydrogen; off-grid hybrid renewable plant; integrated techno-economic modeling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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