Modeling an optimal renewable hydrogen infrastructure at airport

Hydrogen has been identified as a promising alternative fuel to decarbonize the aviation sector. Besides new aircraft and engine design, implementing hydrogen fuel for aviation faces challenges in establishing an adequate infrastructure for cost-effective and reliable hydrogen supply and use. In this study, a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model is utilized to investigate the optimal component capacity composition of a proposed on-site hydrogen production facility at an airport, subject to both economic and energy constraints. The optimized system demonstrates a levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) of US$7.15/kg liquid hydrogen under the base-case techno-economic assumptions, with an annualized total cost of US$21.6 M. Renewable energy plays a dominant role in supplying the system under the base case, accounting for 81 % of the overall energy supply. Subsequently seasonal variations in renewable energy availability significantly impact daily operating strategies. Sensitivity analyses show the system's economic performance and operation pattern are greatly impacted by variations in component unit costs and their efficiencies. Compared to a system supplied solely by RES technology, utilizing the grid energy in the facility becomes more economically viable and energy efficient. Simulations with forecasted parameters for the year 2050 suggest the potential for significant LCOH reduction to only $ 4.38/kg and a substantial increase in share of renewable energy supply to over 90 %. • Optimizes airport H2 infrastructure using a MILP-based techno-economic framework. • Examines various electricity supply modes' effects on system utilization and H2 cost. • Reports a LCOH of US$7.15/kg LH2 in 2025 with 81 % renewable energy contribution. • System design and cost are highly sensitive to electrolyzer, PV, and WT costs. • Projects that H2 costs drop to US$4.38/kg LH2 by 2050 with near grid independence.