Techno-economic assessment and modeling of green hydrogen production using renewable energy: a case study of Moroccan regions

• Techno-economic assessment of PV–wind green hydrogen production in four Moroccan regions. • HOMER Pro identifies Dakhla-Oued Noun as lowest NPC and LCOH region. • Larger project scale reduces hydrogen cost significantly. • Modeling and validation of the global system via Matlab/Simulink. • Stable electrical performance and hydrogen production of approximately 12 kg/h achieved, exceeding the target demand. • Hydrogen storage is shown to be an effective alternative to battery storage for supporting renewable energy integration. This paper presents a techno-economic and dynamic assessment of a renewable-powered green hydrogen production system intended for biofuel upgrading within the SUSTEPS project. The study designs an optimal system capable of continuously supplying 7.28 kg/h of hydrogen required for the biofuel production process, using photovoltaic and wind energy across four Moroccan regions. Unlike previous Moroccan hydrogen assessments, this work integrates green hydrogen production modeling directly into upgrading process system while combining regional optimization with dynamic operational validation. Techno-economic analysis using HOMER Pro identifies Dakhla–Oued Ed-Dahab as the most favorable region, achieving the lowest LCOH of 5.42 $/kg at the studied scale. A scale-up analysis further demonstrates significant cost reduction potential. The optimized configuration is validated through MATLAB/Simulink dynamic modeling, confirming stable operation under variable renewable conditions and hydrogen production exceeding the nominal demand to ensure storage reserve. The results demonstrate the technical feasibility and economic relevance of integrating renewable hydrogen production into sustainable biofuel systems in Morocco.