A comparative study between small-scale and large-scale photovoltaic hydrogen production under tropical climate: A case study in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

This study investigates the potential of green hydrogen production from small and large-scale photovoltaic water electrolysis systems under tropical climate conditions, with particular emphasis on the Levelized Cost of Hydrogen (LCOH) in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The hydrogen production system was developed using MATLAB/SIMULINK R2023b. The system simulation incorporates a commercial proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer, driven by a DC/DC converter, is also evaluated under varying environmental scenarios based on real meteorological data for temperature and solar irradiance. Dynamic simulations were performed to analyze the relationship between solar resource availability and hydrogen production. Results indicate that at small-scale 3.68 kWp PV + 0.017 kW PEM, LCOH is 104.52 USD/kg for PV-only compared to 17.09 USD/kg for a grid sourced electricity case. At large-scale 100 MWp PV + 60 MWe PEM, LCOH falls to 7.05 USD/kg under PV-only operation Utilization factor Uf = 0.31 and 3.61 USD/kg with grid supplied backup Uf = 0.85 illustrating the massive cost reduction achievable through economies of scale. Model validation showed a high degree of accuracy, with an average percentage error of 1.41 % when comparing simulated and manufacturer provided parameters curves. A comparative carbon footprint analysis demonstrated the environmental advantages of PV driven hydrogen production over conventional fossil fuels methods. These findings are especially relevant for such climates and support the advancement of Sustainable Development Goals 7 and 13 positioning green hydrogen as a key vector for the clean energy transition.