Production-Stage environmental and Techno-Economic assessment of green hydrogen production in Ghana: Comparing Solar, Wind, and biomass pathways

Country-specific assessments of suitable green hydrogen pathways remain limited for resource-endowed Sub-Saharan African countries, including Ghana. The study assesses the cradle-to-gate environmental impacts and techno-economic performance of four hydrogen production pathways using solar, wind, and biomass. GIS screened sites for technical potential, while life-cycle impacts per kg H 2 followed ISO 14040/14044. The levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) was estimated using sensitivity, scenario, Monte Carlo, and operational-realism analyses. A weighted multi-criteria decision analysis integrated global warming potential (GWP), LCOH, water consumption, and land occupation. Wind electrolysis at Ada produced the highest yield (6,403 t H 2 yr −1 on an annual-energy basis) and the lowest water use (12 L kg −1 H 2 ). Its GWP and LCOH were 1.20 kg CO 2 e kg −1 H 2 and 2.8–3.4 USD kg −1 , respectively. Biomass gasification recorded the lowest GWP (0.80 kg CO 2 e kg −1 H 2 , assuming carbon–neutral residues) and LCOH (2.5–3.1 USD kg −1 ) but the highest water demand (25 L kg −1 H 2 ). Wind and biomass gasification obtained identical base-case composite scores (0.850), ahead of solar (0.426) and biomass-to-power (0.254), and neither dominated. In the base configuration, wind ranked first in 66% of the weight space and under any biomass carbon-accounting penalty. In contrast, biomass gasification ranked first under cost- and climate-priority weights and when wind operated off-grid with electrolyzer curtailment (LCOH ≈ 4.2 USD kg −1 ). The findings support a dual-track strategy for Ghana: grid-connected coastal wind and certified, water-managed residue gasification as co-leading pathways, with solar electrolysis extending supply inland.