Centralized Production of Hydrogen using a Coupled Water Electrolyzer-Solar Photovoltaic System

Abstract

This study investigates the centralized production of hydrogen gas (H2) by electrolysis of water using photovoltaic (PV) electricity. H2 can be used to power all modes of transportation. The logical first large-scale application of H2 is as a replacement fuel for light-duty vehicles, light commercial trucks, and buses. Since H2 is an expensive fuel compared to gasoline, consumer acceptance of H2 is contingent on its use in advanced fuel economy vehicles such as fuel cell vehicles (FCVs), which lowers the cost of H2 relative to the cost of gasoline used by conventional fuel economy vehicles. The purpose of the study is to provide baseline projections of capital investments, levelized H2 prices, and fuel cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of a centralized PV electrolytic H2 production and distribution system. This is important in order to evaluate the economic and environmental impacts of utilizing PV electrolytic H2 as a fuel source. The use of PV electricity for electrolytic H2 production is a means of storing solar energy and overcoming its limitations as an intermittent power source. However, the intermittency of solar energy reduces the utilization capacity factor of electrolysis plants, which increases H2 production cost. The relevant question is whether the