Green hydrogen, electricity, and heat multigeneration via using solar, wind and hybrid RE systems: Comprehensive case studies in Arabian Peninsula Countries

Abstract

This paper aims to assess the impact of solar and wind renewable energy (RE) potentials on the performance and economics of different RE systems located in Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Arabian Peninsula Countries (APC) to meet hydrogen, electrical, and thermal energy requirements. Techno-economic studies were carried out to evaluate the performance of a solar Photovoltaics (PV), a wind turbine (WT), and a hybrid solar/wind (PV/WT) system. The performance of different configurations of the considered systems are simulated and optimized in hourly basis at various locations in the APC region using a developed MATLAB computer code. The findings showed that the hybrid PV/WT system is more effective than PV or WT systems. In Riyadh, for the hybrid PV/WT system, Net Present Cost (NPC), Cost of Electricity (COE) and Cost of Hydrogen (COH) are 97.792 K$, 0.137 $/kWh and 2.01 $/kg, respectively. However, for the PV system, the findings showed that NPC, COE and COH increased by 30, 27 and 32%, respectively. For a standalone WT system NPC, COE and COH values increased by 53, 52, and 54%, respectively. In Saudi Arabia, it is obsereved that the minimum costs of both electricity and hydrogen productions are achieved for the hybrid standalone PV/WT system in Neom City with values of COE = 0.128 $/kWh and COH = 1.881 $/kg. For the APC region, the most cost-effective hybrid standalone PV/WT system is found in Kuwait City with COE = 0.120 $/kWh and COH = 1.765 $/kg. Furthermore, COE and COH contours of PV, WT, and PV/WT systems economics are developed which give the decision makers a full vision about solar and wind potentials in the region and identify the locations that minimize the cost of production.