System-Level Assessment of Green Hydrogen Production via SOEC-Solar Thermal Integration

This study investigates the integration of third-generation (Gen3) Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) systems with Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells (SOEC) for green hydrogen (gH2) production in the Atacama Desert, Chile. A 100 MW CSP plant coupled with SOEC systems of varying capacities is modeled to optimize hydrogen production using thermal storage particles at 780°C. The analysis focuses on the techno-economic performance, highlighting the importance of Thermal Energy Storage (TES) capacity.Results indicate that optimal gH2 production occurs with around 10 hours of TES, beyond which additional storage offers minimal benefits. The findings demonstrate that asymmetrical capacity integration between CSP and SOEC systems is economically advantageous, particularly when maintaining a capacity ratio (CR) between 0.01 and 0.2. This integration can potentially exceed the energy demands of the region’s copper mining industry, contributing to significant reductions in fossil fuel reliance and promoting the commercialization of surplus hydrogen.