Geographical, technical, economic, and environmental potential for wind to hydrogen production in Algeria: GIS-based approach

Abstract

In this paper, wind resource availability was determined by analyzing the meteorological wind energy potential at the hub height of wind turbines. The wind resource potential was identified in specific geographic locations. Technical factors, such as siting requirements and resource availability, were taken into account in the investigation. The economic potential was calculated for each area of Algeria, considering overall losses. Subsequently, the potential for reducing fossil fuel usage was determined through wind to hydrogen estimation. The main components utilized in this work were a Vestas-90 wind turbine (V90–2.0 MW) and an alkaline electrolyzer. The analysis employed a Geographical Information System (GIS) tool. The results demonstrate Algeria's significant potential for wind to hydrogen production, estimated at 1.093 Gt/year without constraints, and reduced to 1.066 Gt/year when considering constraints. The levelized cost of wind to hydrogen production in Algeria varies between 1.51 and 15.37 US $/kg, depending on the chosen wind turbine. The wind to hydrogen production potential identified has the capacity to replace the entire current fossil fuel consumption in the transportation sector, which amounts to 5.28 Mt H2/year. The utilization of wind to hydrogen in the transport sector results in a significant reduction of CO2 emissions, with a calculated avoidance of 45.69 Mt compared to the use of gasoline and diesel. Hydrogen produced from wind energy resources also could be used to support other sectors, including residential, agricultural, and industry in Algeria.