Techno-Economic Assessment of Green Hydrogen Production by an Off-Grid Photovoltaic Energy System

Qusay Hassan, Imad Saeed Abdulrahman, Hayder M. Salman, Olushola Tomilayo Olapade and Marek Jaszczur ()
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Qusay Hassan: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Diyala, Diyala 32001, Iraq
Imad Saeed Abdulrahman: College of Technical Engineering, Al-Farahidi University, Baghdad 10005, Iraq
Hayder M. Salman: Department of Computer Science, Al-Turath University College, Baghdad 10070, Iraq
Olushola Tomilayo Olapade: Faculty of Energy and Fuels, AGH University of Science and Technology, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Marek Jaszczur: Faculty of Energy and Fuels, AGH University of Science and Technology, 30-059 Krakow, Poland

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 2, 1-20

Abstract: Green hydrogen production is essential to meeting the conference of the parties’ (COP) decarbonization goals; however, this method of producing hydrogen is not as cost-effective as hydrogen production from fossil fuels. This study analyses an off-grid photovoltaic energy system designed to feed a proton-exchange membrane water electrolyzer for hydrogen production to evaluate the optimal electrolyzer size. The system has been analyzed in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, using experimental meteorological data. The 12 kW p photovoltaic array is positioned at the optimal annual tilt angle for the selected site. The temperature effect on photovoltaic modules is taken into consideration. Several electrolyzers with capacities in the range of 2–14 kW were investigated to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the system. The simulation process was conducted using MATLAB and considering the project life span from 2021 to 2035. The results indicate that various potentially cost-competitive alternatives exist for systems with market combinations resembling renewable hydrogen wholesale. It has been found that the annual energy generated by the analyzed photovoltaic system is 18,892 kWh at 4313 operating hours, and the obtained hydrogen production cost ranges from USD 5.39/kg to USD 3.23/kg. The optimal electrolyzer capacity matches a 12 kW p PV system equal to 8 kW, producing 37.5 kg/year/kW p of hydrogen for USD 3.23/kg.

Keywords: renewable hydrogen; hydrogen energy; photovoltaic energy; proton exchange membrane electrolysis; hydrogen economy; green hydrogen (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: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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