Feasibility and Sensitivity Analysis of an Off-Grid PV/Wind Hybrid Energy System Integrated with Green Hydrogen Production: A Case Study of Algeria

This study investigates the techno-economic feasibility of an off-grid integrated solar/wind/hydrokinetic plant to co-generate electricity and hydrogen for a remote micro-community. In addition to the techno-economic viability assessment of the proposed system via HOMER (hybrid optimization of multiple energy resources), a sensitivity analysis is conducted to ascertain the impact of ±10% fluctuations in wind speed, solar radiation, temperature, and water velocity on annual electric production, unmet electricity load, LCOE (levelized cost of electricity), and NPC (net present cost). For this, a far-off village with 15 households is selected as the case study. The results reveal that the NPC, LCOE, and LCOH (levelized cost of hydrogen) of the system are equal to $333,074, 0.1155 $/kWh, and 4.59 $/kg, respectively. Technical analysis indicates that the PV system with the rated capacity of 40 kW accounts for 43.7% of total electricity generation. This portion for the wind turbine and the hydrokinetic turbine with nominal capacities of 10 kW and 20 kW equates to 23.6% and 32.6%, respectively. Finally, the results of sensitivity assessment show that among the four variables only a +10% fluctuation in water velocity causes a 20% decline in NPC and LCOE.

Microgrids for green hydrogen production for fuel cell buses – A techno-economic analysis for Fiji

This study presents a comprehensive economic and technological evaluation of renewable hybrid power systems for hydrogen refueling stations (HRS) in Nizwa, Oman, leveraging cutting-edge optimization algorithms to determine the most cost-effective and efficient hybrid energy system configurations. Three hybrid energy systems of photovoltaic-wind turbine-battery (PV-WT-B), photovoltaic-wind-fuel cell-battery (PV-WT-FC-B), and wind turbine-battery (WT-B) were evaluated based on net present cost (NPC), levelized cost of energy (LCOE), and levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH). The study employs advanced optimization techniques, including the Mayfly Algorithm, Genetic Algorithm, CUKO Search, Gray Wolf Optimizer (GWO), Constrained Particle Swarm Optimization (CPSO), Harmony Search (HS), and Flower Pollination Algorithm to determine the most viable hybrid energy system for the HRS in Nizwa. The results indicate that CPSO consistently achieves the lowest NPC, LCOE, and LCOH, whereas HS and GWO yield higher costs due to convergence inefficiencies. Sensitivity analysis reveals a strong inverse correlation between PV capacity and cost metrics, highlighting the economic advantage of increased solar generation. Additionally, hybrid configurations integrating PV and wind turbine (PV-WT-B, PV-WT-FC-B) significantly reduce NPC compared to WT-B, reinforcing the role of solar energy in optimizing economic costs. Furthermore, fuel cell integration (PV-WT-FC-B) imposes additional economic burdens, making PV-WT-B the most viable solution for HRS deployment in Oman. More so, the annual worth and return-on-investment analysis demonstrated that the PV-WT-B is the preferred energy system to meet the needs of the HRS in terms of investment. The findings underscore the importance of renewable energy fraction and capacity factor in energy economics, demonstrating that higher PV integration enhances sustainability and cost-efficiency. This study provides a transformative framework for decarbonizing Oman’s transportation sector, offering insights into optimal hydrogen production strategies to advance the global clean energy transition.

The current study proposes a model of an autonomous HRFS installed on different sites in 20 Saudi cities powered by renewable clean energy sources. The station is fully powered by photovoltaic (PV) panels and wind turbines involving an electrolyzer and hydrogen tank for producing and storing hydrogen. Three scenarios are investigated to propose an optimized model, namely Scenario 1 containing (PV-Wind-Battery) system, Scenario 2 with (Wind-Battery) technologies, and Scenario 3 with (PV-Battery) components. The HRFS is expected to feed the load hydrogen demand of 25 hydrogen cars with a storage tank capacity of 5 kg. The simulation is carried out using the well-known HOMER software and the description of the technical parameters of the renewable plant together with a detailed economic feasibility for the investigated cities are also performed. Furthermore, the optimization process executed demonstrates a competitive levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) especially for the third scenario with a LCOH varying within $12–15.9/kg and LCOE in range $ 0.332–0.414/kWh, for all 20 cities. For instance, encouraging lowest values of net present cost (NPC) and LCOE are obtained for the futuristic NEOM mega city relatively to the first and third scenarios with values (NPC = $1,576,000, LCOE = $ 0.627/kWh) and (NPC = $830,494, LCOE = $ 0.332/kWh), respectively. On another hand, thorough analysis of PV/Wind hydrogen technoeconomic operation is provided including improvements recommendations, scenarios comparison and environmental impact discussion.

Feasibility studies of green hydrogen production using photovoltaic systems in Iran's southern coastal regions

Evaluation of Green and Blue Hydrogen Production Potential in Saudi Arabia

Integrating renewable energy technologies in a single system is becoming more reliable to meet electrical demand of remote locations. Here, integration and the optimal use of various available energy resources in a stand-alone microgrid are investigated. An integrated renewable energy system (IRES) approach has been proposed and analyzed using homer software. Seven scenarios with different combinations of energy sources and storage systems have been investigated based on their levelized cost of energy (LCOE) supply and net present cost (NPC). The proposed IRES, which includes photovoltaic (PV), wind, and biogas, gives the least LCOE as $0.207/kW h without any policy intervention. This LCOE reduces to $0.12/kW h with policy intervention and consideration of carbon abetment cost. Moreover, sensitivity analysis has been carried out with variation in load, solar radiation, and wind speed. The NPC is found to be most sensitive to the variation of load and least sensitive to the variation of wind speed.

The current study proposes a model of autonomous Hydrogen Refuelling Stations (HRFS) installed on different sites in twenty French cities powered by renewable clean energy sources. The station is fully powered by photovoltaic (PV) panels, wind turbines with battery storage and involving an electrolyzer and hydrogen tank for producing and storing hydrogen. Using Homer simulation, three scenarios are investigated to propose an optimized model, namely Scenario 1 containing (PV-Wind-Battery) system, Scenario 2 with (Wind-Battery) technologies and Scenario 3 with (PV-Battery) components. The otimization process executed demonstrates very competitive levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) especially for the third scenario solely based on PV power with LCOE in range $0.354-0.435/kWh and a LCOH varying within $13.5-16.5/kg, for all 20 cities. An average net present cost (NPC) value of $ 1,561,429 and $ 2,522,727 are predicted for the first and second architectures while least net present cost of $1,038,117 is estimated for the third combination solely based on solar power according to all sites considered. For instance, minimum values are obtained for Marseille city with LCOE=$ 0.354/kWh and a LCOH=$ 13.5 /kg in conformity with the minimum obtained value of NPC value of $886,464 with respect to the winner third scenario. In addition, more costly hydrogen production is expected for Grenoble city especially for scenario 1 and 2 where wind turbine technology is introduced. On another hand, thorough analysis of PV/wind hydrogen techno-economic operation is provided including improvements recommendations, scenarios comparison and environmental impact discussion.

This study explores the feasibility of generating green hydrogen using wind energy in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) for potential export to Germany, aiming to reduce their heavy reliance on grey hydrogen. NL features abundant wind resources, deep-water export harbours, and proximity to Europe, making it an ideal location to contribute to Europe’s energy security. Utilizing the Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources (HOMER Pro) microgrid software, we conducted a techno-economic analysis of a wind-to-hydrogen case study at the Port au Port location aimed at offsetting 1% of Germany’s grey hydrogen consumption. The optimal system comprises 49 wind turbines, each with 4.2 MW capacity, a 130 MW PEM electrolyzer, a liquid hydrogen storage facility, and a grid as a backup. We evaluated various financial metrics, including Net Present Cost (NPC), Levelized Cost of Energy (LCoE), and Levelized Cost of Hydrogen (LCoH) for short-term, mid-term, and long-term storage scenarios. The financial metrics were compared with similar case studies around the globe to highlight the economic competitiveness of clean hydrogen production in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) numbers SDG 7, SDG 9, SDG 11, SDG 12 and SDG13, this study proposes a model of autonomous hydrogen refuelling stations installed on 20 Saudi cities powered by renewable resources. The station is supplied with photovoltaic (PV) panels and wind turbines involving an electrolyser and hydrogen tank for producing and storing hydrogen. Three scenarios are simulated proposing the optimised model by combining the (PV–wind–battery) components. The modelling process demonstrates an extremely competitive levelised cost of energy (LCOE) and levelised cost of hydrogen (LCOH), especially for the third scenario solely based on PV power with an LCOH varying within $12–15.9/kg and LCOE in the range of $0.332–0.414/kWh, for all 20 sites. Furthermore, encouraging lower values of net present cost (NPC) and LCOE are obtained for the futuristic NEOM city for Scenario 3 with NPC = $830 494 and LCOE = $0.332/kWh. On the other hand, replacing conventional gasoline vehicles with hydrogen fuel cell vehicles can significantly reduce CO2 emissions, with cost per kilometre for the hydrogen fuel cell car in ranges of $0.0362/km–$0.0370/km, $0.0306/km–$0.0931/km and $0.0191/km to $0.0241/km, according to Scenario 1, 2 and 3, respectively.

Hydrogen is an excellent source of energy that can be burnt directly and used in fuel cells with no emission to environment. In recent years, green hydrogen has become a research interest in many developed and developing countries. The main barrier to this green fuel is the production cost. Production of hydrogen using solar photovoltaic (PV) powered water electrolysis process might reduce the production cost. This paper presents the determination of the Levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) produced from a PV-based electrolysis plant which is built in Energy Institute, Dhaka University. The analysis uses LCOH and Life Cycle Cost (LCC) methods to determine the production cost of hydrogen. HOMER Energy software has been used to determine the electricity cost. The plant's lifetime is assumed to be 25 years, with a discount rate of 5%. The Levelized electricity cost from the invested Solar PV plant is about BDT 37.92, and the pay back period is about four years. The electricity consumption of the hydrogen generating plant is 4225 kWh/year, and the amount of hydrogen yield is 128520 kg/year. It is found that the LCOH of green hydrogen is BDT 3.41/kg by LCOH method and BDT 6.79/kg by LCC. The determined cost is very competitive concerning the international market price which is about US$13.99/kg. If production cost becomes comparatively lower, Bangladesh could become a remarkable green hydrogen producer with a remarkable impact in the international market. The model and analysis might help to design, assess and implement such projects in Bangladesh and establish a green hydrogen economy. DUJASE Vol. 6 (2) 64-71, 2021 (July)

The aim of this study is to evaluate the economic, technical, and environmental performances of grid-tied and stand-alone hybrid renewable energy systems (HRESs) in 21 provinces in seven regions of Turkey, considering different regional solar radiation and wind speed diversity. HRES were designed and modeled using the Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources software (HOMER PRO) to meet the daily load of 13.26 kWh/day of a household. The analysis results for each province were compared considering the cost of energy, net present cost (NPC), greenhouse gas emissions, renewable fraction (RF), and optimum system configuration. The findings demonstrated that the optimal system configurations are Grid/PV/WT and PV/WT/DG/BESS for grid-tied and stand-alone HRES, respectively. The value of NPC ranges from <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\$ $ </tex-math></inline-formula> 2,540.00 to <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\$ $ </tex-math></inline-formula> 8,951.00 for grid-tied HRES, while it varies from <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\$ $ </tex-math></inline-formula> 23,372.00 to <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\$ $ </tex-math></inline-formula> 40,858.00 for stand-alone HRES. The provinces of Çanakkale in the Marmara Region and Artvin in the Black Sea Coast Region have the lowest and highest NPC values, respectively, for all systems. The PV capital cost, WT capital cost, BESS capital cost, solar radiation, and wind speed are considered as sensitivity input parameters that might affect the economic output of the HRES in this study. According to the sensitivity analysis, the NPC value as an economic indicator input decreased for both on-grid and off-grid HRES as the wind speed and solar radiation increased. It was also found that when the capital cost of PV panels and WT were changed, the NPC of the stand-alone HRES was in the range of <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\$ $ </tex-math></inline-formula> 21,402.27- <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\$ $ </tex-math></inline-formula> 29,978.89 for the province of Çanakkale, while it was in the range of <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\$ $ </tex-math></inline-formula> 37,518.11- <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\$ $ </tex-math></inline-formula> 51,939.00 for the province of Artvin. Moreover, when solar radiation and wind speed were increased, the results showed that NPC and CO2 emissions decreased by 9.30% and 9.23%, respectively, for Çanakkale, and by 25.58% and 66.95%, respectively, for Artvin. Finally, the results indicated that the optimal system configuration changes depending on the PV and WT capital cost variations for the grid-tied HRES. This research can be useful for planning grid-tied and stand-alone HRES from different aspects in Turkey, as well as other countries around the world. It contributes to the literature by comparing grid-tied and stand-alone HRES to determine the optimum system configuration and to find the best optimization results in seven regions of Turkey under different climate conditions. In addition, most of the studies related to HRES for residential areas in the literature are reviewed in this research, which intends to serve as a guide for engineers and researchers.

Parametric modeling of green hydrogen production in solar PV-CSP hybrid plants: A techno-economic evaluation approach

This study evaluates the operation of a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyzer and an Alkaline Water Electrolyzer (AWE), coupled with Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), Photovoltaic (PV), and Wind Turbine (WT) power plants in a region characterized by high solar irradiance and moderate wind speeds. Each technology is modeled and integrated into fourteen different configurations, seven of which are coupled with a PEM electrolyzer, and the remaining seven with an AWE electrolyzer. Hourly simulations are conducted for one year to determine annual hourly production. Subsequently, the Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) and the Levelized Cost of Hydrogen (LCOH) are calculated for two scenarios: the current state and projections for 2030. Results indicate that the LCOE ranges from 48.19 to 118.18 USD/MWh, while the LCOH varies from 3.56 to 14.13 USD/kg H2. By 2030, these values are projected to decrease to between 38.57 and 87.99 USD/MWh for LCOE and between 2.87 and 8.22 USD/kg H2 for LCOH. However, these LCOH values are still higher than those for grey hydrogen derived from fossil fuels. If reductions in LCOE and electrolyzer investment costs are achieved, green hydrogen could become more cost-competitive. These findings provide critical insights for policymakers considering strategies for green hydrogen production.

Techno-economic feasibility of a PV/battery/fuel cell/electrolyzer/biogas hybrid system for energy and hydrogen production in the far north region of cameroon by using HOMER pro