Biomass valorization in green hydrogen production, storage and transportation using low and high-temperature water electrolyzers: A thermo-economic approach

Hydrogen is regarded as a compelling substitute for fossil fuels, mainly produced from renewable sources. However, the production cost is an obstacle in the green hydrogen path. Therefore, the current study aims to maximize hydrogen generation with minimum production cost by integrating solar and wind energy with biomass. Moreover, the current research is in one location with high solar power and the other with high wind speed. Effects of high and low water electrolyzers on system performance are investigated. The results revealed that a SOEC significantly improves the hydrogen generation rate and overall system efficiency. Due to this, electrolyzers increased efficiency from 15.3 % to 20.2 % in solar systems and 25.4 %–33.1 % in wind systems. The lowest LCOH is 1.8 $/kg in Gabal El-Zeit and 2.27 $/kg in Benban. The effect of the overall system degradation rate is considered to predict performance over time to ensure reliability and economic viability. In other words, increasing this rate led to high production cost by about 60 %. The amount of CO₂ avoided and produced is investigated. Finally, the cost of hydrogen storage is calculated for each scenario and found to vary from 0.038 to 0.49 $/kg.