Synergistic sizing and energy management strategy of combined offshore wind with solar floating PV system for green hydrogen and electricity co-production using multi-objective dung beetle optimization

This study comprehensively analyzes an integrated renewable energy system complementing offshore wind turbines (OWT) and floating solar photovoltaic (FPV) technology designed for producing electric power and green hydrogen. The research explores the technical feasibility, techno-economic performance, and optimal sizing of the system components. The system integrates OWT farms, FPV arrays, water electrolyzer, and hydrogen storage tank, to minimize the levelized cost of energy (LCOE), loss of power supply probability (LPSP), and excess energy. A novel optimization approach, Dung Beetle Optimization (DBO) algorithm, is utilized and compared with the Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO) for performance validation. To ensure the robustness of the proposed DBO algorithm, it is thoroughly tested on two system configurations: a standalone OWT hydrogen production system and a hybrid FPV/OWT hydrogen production system. The results showed that the DBO algorithm outperforms the GWO algorithm in terms of system efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and reliability. The optimization findings reveal that the FPV/OWT hybrid system, optimized with the DBO algorithm, leads to a more cost-effective configuration, with the OWT component contributing 45.96 % of the total costs. Moreover, the optimized FPV/OWT system achieves a lower levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of 0.5797 $/kWh compared to 0.8190 $/kWh for the standalone OWT system. Furthermore, the hybrid FPV/OWT system maintains a levelized cost of hydrogen (COH) of 1.205 $/kg, making it a competitive option for large-scale hydrogen production. Conclusively, the findings demonstrate the technical feasibility and economic viability of the designated hybrid system for sustainable off-grid rural electrification and hydrogen production, offering a robust solution to meet future energy demands.