Techno-economic and environmental evaluation of integrated microgrid systems for electrification and hydrogen production

Abstract The present work investigates the feasibility of electrolyzer-based hydrogen generation through a hybrid renewable energy system. Evaluations focusing on technical, economic and environmental evaluations are conducted to determine the optimized system architectures that maximize energy efficiency and environmental benefits. Three hybrid renewable energy systems were assessed, including grid-connected and grid isolated configurations of solar PV array, wind turbines (WT), hydrogen fuel cells, and backup battery bank. The lowest levelized energy cost, at 0.539 $/kWh, and the lowest cost of producing hydrogen, at 6.85 $/kg were achieved by integrating solar PV and wind turbine with the grid connectivity. Integrating Solar PV and wind turbine connected to the power supply grid resulted in the lowest levelized energy cost, at However, in the case of a grid-isolated system utilizing fuel cells or battery storage banks, the hydrogen cost rises above 8.0 $/kg due to the higher capital expenses associated with the system. With yearly carbon dioxide emissions of 240841.66 kg, the optimized system produces 111 877 kg of green hydrogen annually. Additionally, the optimized system (System 1) has the lowest Human Health Damage (HHD) and Ecosystem Damage (ESD), with its Human Development Index (HDI) slightly surpassing those of Systems 2 and 3. However, System 3 creates more jobs.