Evaluation of green hydrogen production using solar, wind, and hybrid technologies under various technical and financial scenarios for multi-sites in Egypt

Abstract

The importance of energy storage is increased with the intermittent nature of renewable energy resources (RERs). Green hydrogen is increasingly being employed to address its shortcomings. Furthermore, lowering carbon emissions has accelerated the quest for green alternatives instead of fossil-based fuels. This research focuses on Egypt's capacity to generate green hydrogen using natural renewable resources to serve islanded electrical and hydrogen loads. To obtain the lowest net present cost (NPC), cost of hydrogen (COH), and levelized cost of energy (LCOE), the state-of-the-art prices of the system elements are investigated and optimized using the HOMER professional software. Three situations with solar photovoltaic (PV), wind, and hybrid RERs are evaluated in three separate Egyptian cities. A sensitivity analysis is investigated based on the influence of the system's reliability and hydrogen load variance on the cost. The results of the three locations are compared to indicate the best site for green hydrogen production. The results obtained with the wind scenario located on the coast of the Suez Gulf provided the lowest LCOE, ranged from 0.308 $/kWh to 0.353 $/kWh, and the COH ranged from 3.73 $/kg to 4.13 $/kg.