Techno-economic analysis of hydrogen production from PV plants

Department of Energy, Systems, Territory and Construction Engineering, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

^* Corresponding author: lorenzo.ferrari@unipi.it

Abstract

Hydrogen production through electrolysis from renewable sources is expected to play an important role to achieve the reduction targets of carbon dioxide emissions set for the next decades. Electrolysers can use the renewable energy surplus to produce green hydrogen and contribute to making the electrical grid more stable. Hydrogen can be used as medium-long term energy storage, converted into other fuels, or used as feedstock in industry thus contributing to decarbonise hard-to-abate-sectors. However, due to the intermittent and variable nature of solar and wind power, the direct coupling of electrolysers with renewables may lead to high production fluctuations and frequent shutdowns. As a consequence, accelerated electrolyser degradation and safety issues related to low load operation may arise. In this study, simulations of hydrogen production with an electrolyser fed by a PV system are performed in Matlab for a reference year. The effect of PV power fluctuations on the electrolyser operation and production is investigated. The impact of the electrolyser size for a fixed nominal power of the PV plant is also analysed from both energetic and economic points of view.