Hydrogen Production from Surplus Electricity Generated by an Autonomous Renewable System: Scenario 2040 on Grand Canary Island, Spain

Abstract

The electrification of final energy uses is a key strategy to reach the desired scenario with zero greenhouse gas emissions. Many of them can be electrified with more or less difficulty, but there is a part that is difficult to electrify at a competitive cost: heavy road transport, maritime and air transport, and some industrial processes are some examples. For this reason, the possibility of using other energy vectors rather than electricity should be explored. Hydrogen can be considered a real alternative, especially considering that this transition should not be carried out immediately because, initially, the electrification would be carried out in those energy uses that are considered most feasible for this conversion. The Canary Islands’ government is making considerable efforts to promote a carbon-free energy mix, starting with renewable energy for electricity generation. Still, in the early–mid 2030s, it will be necessary to substitute heavy transport fossil fuel. For this purpose, HOMER software was used to analyze the feasibility of hydrogen production using surplus electricity produced by the future electricity system. The results of previous research on the optimal generation MIX for Grand Canary Island, based exclusively on renewable sources, were used. This previous research considers three possible scenarios where electricity surplus is in the range of 2.3–4.9 TWh/year. Several optimized scenarios using demand-side management techniques were also studied. Therefore, based on the electricity surpluses of these scenarios, the optimization of hydrogen production and storage systems was carried out, always covering at least the final hydrogen demand of the island. As a result, it is concluded that it would be possible to produce 3.5 × 104 to 7.68 × 104 t of H2/year. In these scenarios, 3.15 × 105 to 6.91 × 105 t of water per year would be required, and there could be a potential production of 2.8 × 105 to 6.14 × 105 t of O2 per year.

Assessment of a Fully Renewable System for the Total Decarbonization of the Economy with Full Demand Coverage on Islands Connected to a Central Grid: The Balearic Case in 2040

“…The optimal solution is the one with the lowest NPC, but other solutions can also be considered based on other criteria, such as lower total installed power, minimization of energy wastages, or a weighted combination of several factors. However, in this case, we follow the common practice of other researchers and select the global optimal solution as the best one [12,13].…”

“…Moreover, this consumption represents around 10% of overall consumption, so it could be considered that there is no seasonality. For these reasons, H 2 production has been considered in this study to be uniformly distributed daily between 12 h (8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.), as it has also been suggested previously in similar research studies [13]. However, to account for the inherent variability that exists in end-use processes, a random hourly variability of up to 20% has been implemented.…”

“…In addition, hydrogen demand can vary from day to day due to several factors, such as weather conditions, economic factors, changes in transportation patterns, daily tourist occupancy, and so on. For this reason, it has been considered that hydrogen demand can vary by up to 10% between consecutive days [13]. It is noteworthy that the Balearic Islands experience consistent weather conditions, which mitigates the likelihood of substantial fluctuations in hydrogen demand.…”

“…Berna-Escriche et al demonstrated that hydrogen can be considered a real alternative for future scenarios since new electric items are gradually being included in society: heavy road transport, maritime, and air transport. They focused on Gran Canaria, considering three possible scenarios where electricity surplus was in the range of 2.3-4.9 TWh/year, concluding that it would be possible to produce 3.5 × 10 4 to 7.68 × 10 4 t of H 2 /year [13].…”

Anti-symmetric exchange and hydrogen evolution in titanium halide monolayers

“…4,5 Hydrogen evolution through photocatalytic water splitting is a way that can be considered as a renewable energy source. 6 A study suggested that only 80 minutes of solar radiation on the surface of the Earth is sufficient for the annual energy requirement around the globe. 7 Hence, hydrogen production through photocatalytic water splitting using semiconductors is a promising way of converting the solar radiation into chemical fuels, not only at a large scale but also at a reduced cost.…”