A techno-economic analysis of a hydrogen valley is carried out in this paper. A hydrogen generator fed by a wind farm (WF) and/or a photovoltaic (PV) plant supplies four end-users: a stationary fuel ...cell, a hydrogen refuelling station, the injection in the natural gas pipeline and, in case of sufficient hydrogen surplus, a biological hydrogen methanation (BHM) process.
The results demonstrated that an efficiency improvement and a reduction in hydrogen production costs arise from a balanced supply from wind and solar energy. Without the inclusion of a BHM process, hydrogen production costs lower than 7 €/kg were achieved by a hydrogen generator using 10–12% of the PV + WF annual energy with a PV share of 20%–50%. The hydrogen production costs were further reduced to 5 €/kg by introducing a BHM process and increasing the percentage of electrical energy supplied by the PV + WF system to 25% of its overall production.
•Preliminary design of a hydrogen valley fed by wind farm and/or photovoltaic plants.•Hydrogen supply chain designed to satisfy different end-user demands.•Performance analysis by varying hydrogen generator size and storage capacity.•Economic analysis and determination of the expected levelized cost of hydrogen.•Evaluation of the benefits arising from the introduction of a biomethanation process.
Green hydrogen exploitation plays a crucial role in achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. Hydrogen, in fact, provides a number of key benefits for the energy system, due to its integrability with ...other clean technologies for energy production and consumption. This paper is aimed at presenting the project of recovery of an abandoned industrial area located in central Italy by developing a site for the production of green hydrogen. To this aim, the analysis of the territorial and industrial context of the area allowed us to design the project phases and to define the sizing criteria of the hydrogen production plant. The results of a preliminary cost–benefit analysis show that a huge initial investment is required and that, in the short term, the project is sustainable only with a very large public grant. On the other hand, in the long term, the project is sustainable, and the benefits significantly overcome the costs.
The need to address climate change requires a shift towards more sustainable energy systems with lower greenhouse gas emissions. The emergence of Distributed Energy Systems (DES) and Renewable Energy ...Communities (REC) are changing the way energy systems are planned, designed, and managed. REC can play an important role in the development of green hydrogen, which can be produced in a decentralized way and used as an energy vector for various applications, such as transport and energy storage. The aim of this research is to evaluate the cost of hydrogen in distributed energy systems. The province of Taranto was chosen as a case study to model various supply scenarios for a 100 kW electrolyzer for local hydrogen production to be used within a Renewable Hydrogen Community. The results show that the optimal supply mix consists of 150 kW of photovoltaic and 100 kW of onshore wind installations, resulting in an annual hydrogen production of 7,565 kg H2 /yr, an excess of electrical energy produced of 27,686 kWh/yr, and a Levelized Cost of the produced Hydrogen (LCOH) of 3.82 €/kg H2 . The study highlights the potential use of hydrogen in different sectors, contributing to the reduction of local CO 2 emissions. Therefore, green hydrogen can contribute to creating a more flexible, decentralized, and sustainable energy system, promoting the transition to a low-carbon economy.
The Hydrogen Valleys concept is growing in importance in the political landscape. Numerous national strategies dedicated to hydrogen, published internationally in recent years, recognize its ...advantages. The article aimed to check the scale of researchers' and scientists' interest in this topic, especially in relation to the importance and significance attached to this concept by policymakers. The study used the bibliographic method. In the first stage of the study, papers that contained the term 'hydrogen valleys' in the title, abstract or keywords were selected from the publications available in the Web of Science (WoS) database. A quantitative analysis of the collected publications was carried out in the second phase. The third stage focused on an in-depth content analysis of the publications. Bibliographic research was conducted using VOSviewer software. The WoS database identified only 284 publications dealing with hydrogen valleys. There is a systematic increase in the number of cited papers. However, the research result shows that the most frequently cited publications are studies presenting different types of technological solutions and concepts. The study indicates the existence of a significant research gap in the field of research on the creation and development of Hydrogen Valleys. Despite the growing interest in creating and operating hydrogen valleys, it can be assumed that this is still an under-explored area in the literature, especially in economic and social research. Authors' interest in publishing in this area is expected to increase with the development of hydrogen technologies in the coming years.
The energy production market based on hydrogen technologies is an innovative solution that will allow the industry to achieve climate neutrality in the future in Poland and in the world. The paper ...presents the idea of using hydrogen as a modern energy carrier, and devices that, in cooperation with renewable energy sources, produce the so-called green hydrogen and the applicable legal acts that allow for the implementation of the new technology were analyzed. Energy transformation is inevitable, and according to reports on good practices in European Union countries, hydrogen and the hydrogen value chain (production, transport and transmission, storage, use in transport, and energy) have wide potential. Thanks to joint projects and subsidies from the EU, initiatives supporting hydrogen technologies are created, such as hydrogen clusters and hydrogen valleys, and EU and national strategic programs set the main goals. Poland is one of the leaders in hydrogen production both in the world and in Europe. Domestic tycoons from the energy, refining, and chemical industries are involved in the projects. Eight hydrogen valleys that have recently been created in Poland successfully implement the assumptions of the “Polish Hydrogen Strategy until 2030 with a perspective until 2040” and “Energy Policy of Poland until 2040”, which are in line with the assumptions of the most important legal acts of the EU, including the European Union’s energy and climate policy, the Green Deal, and the Fit for 55 Package. The review of the analysis of the development of hydrogen technologies in Poland shows that Poland does not differ from other European countries. As part of the assumptions of the European Hydrogen Strategy and the trend related to the management of energy surpluses, electrolyzers with a capacity of at least 6 GW will be installed in Poland in 2020–2024. It is also assumed that in the next phase, planned for 2025–2030, hydrogen will be a carrier in the energy system in Poland. Poland, as a member of the EU, is the creator of documents that take into account the assumptions of the European Union Commission and systematically implement the assumed goals. The strategy of activities supporting the development of hydrogen technologies in Poland and the value chain includes very extensive activities related to, among others, obtaining hydrogen, using hydrogen in transport, energy, and industry, developing human resources for the new economy, supporting the activities of hydrogen valley stakeholders, building hydrogen refueling stations, and cooperation among Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic as part of the HydrogenEagle project.
