Assessment of economic efficiency of hydrogen production using wind and solar energy

Relevance. Currently, the issue of using hydrogen as a fuel replacing hydrocarbon raw materials is widely discussed. Plans for hydrogen energy development, announced in a number of countries, including Russia, imply a manifold increase in hydrogen production and consumption for energy purposes. It is still premature to draw clear conclusions about the possibilities of industrial-scale production of free hydrogen emanating from the depths of the Earth. Therefore, hydrogen is produced mainly by coal and gas conversion. However, the only environmentally friendly way to produce hydrogen is to extract it from water, which is much more abundant on Earth than hydrocarbons and which is more accessible. The most common way to obtain hydrogen from water is the decomposition of water under the influence of electric current in an electrolyzer. By using renewable energy sources, the hydrogen production will be environmentally friendly. Aim. To study the economic efficiency of hydrogen production by electrolysis based on electricity generated by wind power plants and photovoltaic converters, depending on the configuration of the power system and external conditions. Methods. The cost of produced hydrogen was determined depending on the technical and economic indicators of energy sources, wind speed and the arrival of solar radiation on the earth's surface. Calculations were carried out using the optimization mathematical model REM-2 (Renewable Energy Model). Results. The authors have constructed the graphs of electricity and hydrogen cost dependence on climatic conditions (average long-term wind speed and annual solar radiation). The authors carried out the analysis of the obtained results. It is shown that under good climatic conditions (V≥6 m/s, Q≥1400 kW×h/m2/year) and optimistic values of technical and economic indicators, the cost of hydrogen is 2.8–3.4 $/kg. In an autonomous power supply system, due to the use of “excess” electricity from renewable energy sources operating in stochastic mode, the costs of hydrogen production are minimal.