IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/appene/v396y2025ics0306261925009778.html

A new framework to green hydrogen production from ocean/sea renewable energy sources: A case study of the Türkiye

Author

Listed:
  • Akdağ, Ozan

Abstract

This study introduces a novel techno-economic framework for green hydrogen production by integrating Ocean/Sea Current Turbine (OCT) technologies with desalinated seawater electrolysis. The proposed framework stands out in the literature by combining a geospatial location selection model, optimal technology matching, and detailed cost modeling under current (2024) and future (2050) scenarios. The methodological innovation lies in the use of a Multi-Criteria Evaluation Index (MCEI), developed through the Step-wise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (SWARA) method, to evaluate eight geographically and technologically relevant criteria, enabling a robust, transparent, and scalable site selection process. This study applied and tested the proposed framework in Türkiye, where ten candidate coastal locations were assessed as a case study. Based on elimination and evaluation criteria, the Kilitbahir site in the Çanakkale Strait—characterized by a high sea current speed (2.3 m/s) and optimal seawater properties—was identified as the most suitable location. A 2 MW pilot facility configuration was modeled using a SeaGen-S turbine, a PEM electrolyzer, and a Reverse Osmosis (RO) desalination unit. Hourly hydrogen production is estimated at 22.413 kg for 2024, increasing to 37.137 kg by 2050. From an economic perspective, two distinct Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCoE) formulations were applied to capture cash flow dynamics, inflation, and performance degradation. LCoE values for 2024 ranged between 98.24 and 100.66 USD/MWh, decreasing to between 42.24 and 42.85 USD/MWh by 2050. The Levelized Cost of Hydrogen (LCOH) for 2024 was calculated at 8.808 to 8.973 USD/kg, dropping to 2.34 to 2.365 USD/kg in the 2050 projection. This study's novelty lies in its integration of spatial decision-making, emerging marine technologies, and forward-looking economic modeling. The proposed framework offers a replicable pathway for green hydrogen deployment in coastal regions worldwide and provides policymakers and investors with actionable insights into future cost trends and siting strategies.

Suggested Citation

  • Akdağ, Ozan, 2025. "A new framework to green hydrogen production from ocean/sea renewable energy sources: A case study of the Türkiye," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 396(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:396:y:2025:i:c:s0306261925009778
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2025.126247
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261925009778
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.apenergy.2025.126247?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Vincent, Immanuel & Bessarabov, Dmitri, 2018. "Low cost hydrogen production by anion exchange membrane electrolysis: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P2), pages 1690-1704.
    2. Nicole Glanemann & Sven N. Willner & Anders Levermann, 2020. "Paris Climate Agreement passes the cost-benefit test," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-11, December.
    3. de Oliveira, Lucas & Santos, Ivan Felipe Silva dos & Schmidt, Nágila Lucietti & Tiago Filho, Geraldo Lúcio & Camacho, Ramiro Gustavo Ramirez & Barros, Regina Mambeli, 2021. "Economic feasibility study of ocean wave electricity generation in Brazil," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 178(C), pages 1279-1290.
    4. Hyun Kyu Shin & Sung Kyu Ha, 2023. "A Review on the Cost Analysis of Hydrogen Gas Storage Tanks for Fuel Cell Vehicles," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-36, July.
    5. Khan, M.J. & Bhuyan, G. & Iqbal, M.T. & Quaicoe, J.E., 2009. "Hydrokinetic energy conversion systems and assessment of horizontal and vertical axis turbines for river and tidal applications: A technology status review," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 86(10), pages 1823-1835, October.
    6. Łukasz Mika & Karol Sztekler & Tomasz Bujok & Piotr Boruta & Ewelina Radomska, 2024. "Seawater Treatment Technologies for Hydrogen Production by Electrolysis—A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(24), pages 1-33, December.
    7. Jung, Jung-Yeul & Lee, Ho Saeng & Kim, Hyeon-Ju & Yoo, Yungpil & Choi, Woo-Young & Kwak, Ho-Young, 2016. "Thermoeconomic analysis of an ocean thermal energy conversion plant," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 1086-1094.
    8. Tao Zhang & Qingyi Liu & Haoming Bao & Mingyue Wang & Nana Wang & Bao Zhang & Hong Jin Fan, 2025. "Atomically thin high-entropy oxides via naked metal ion self-assembly for proton exchange membrane electrolysis," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-11, December.
    9. Akdağ, Ozan, 2025. "Modeling and economic evaluation of hybrid renewable energy sources for green hydrogen production: A case study for the Mediterranean region," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 240(C).
    10. Tongtong Li & Boran Wang & Yu Cao & Zhexuan Liu & Shaogang Wang & Qi Zhang & Jie Sun & Guangmin Zhou, 2024. "Energy-saving hydrogen production by seawater electrolysis coupling tip-enhanced electric field promoted electrocatalytic sulfion oxidation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.
    11. Santhakumar, Srinivasan & Meerman, Hans & Faaij, André, 2024. "Future costs of key emerging offshore renewable energy technologies," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 222(C).
    12. Rebecca J. Barthelmie & Gunner C. Larsen & Sara C. Pryor, 2023. "Modeling Annual Electricity Production and Levelized Cost of Energy from the US East Coast Offshore Wind Energy Lease Areas," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(12), pages 1-29, June.
    13. Güney, M.S. & Kaygusuz, K., 2010. "Hydrokinetic energy conversion systems: A technology status review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(9), pages 2996-3004, December.
    14. Shao, Meng & Zhao, Yuanxu & Sun, Jinwei & Han, Zhixin & Shao, Zhuxiao, 2023. "A decision framework for tidal current power plant site selection based on GIS-MCDM: A case study in China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 262(PB).
    15. Frank Gambou & Damien Guilbert & Michel Zasadzinski & Hugues Rafaralahy, 2022. "A Comprehensive Survey of Alkaline Electrolyzer Modeling: Electrical Domain and Specific Electrolyte Conductivity," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-20, May.
    16. Mestres, Marc & Griñó, Maria & Sierra, Joan Pau & Mösso, César, 2016. "Analysis of the optimal deployment location for tidal energy converters in the mesotidal Ria de Vigo (NW Spain)," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 115(P1), pages 1179-1187.
    17. Zhou, Zhibin & Benbouzid, Mohamed & Charpentier, Jean-Frédéric & Scuiller, Franck & Tang, Tianhao, 2017. "Developments in large marine current turbine technologies – A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 852-858.
    18. Nasrollahi, Sadaf & Kazemi, Aliyeh & Jahangir, Mohammad-Hossein & Aryaee, Sara, 2023. "Selecting suitable wave energy technology for sustainable development, an MCDM approach," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 202(C), pages 756-772.
    19. Yubo Chen & Chencheng Dai & Qian Wu & Haiyan Li & Shibo Xi & Justin Zhu Yeow Seow & Songzhu Luo & Fanxu Meng & Yaolong Bo & Yanghong Xia & Yansong Jia & Adrian C. Fisher & Zhichuan J. Xu, 2025. "Support-free iridium hydroxide for high-efficiency proton-exchange membrane water electrolysis," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-10, December.
    20. Lo Zupone, Giacomo & Amelio, Mario & Barbarelli, Silvio & Florio, Gaetano & Scornaienchi, Nino Michele & Cutrupi, Antonino, 2017. "Lcoe evaluation for a tidal kinetic self balancing turbine: Case study and comparison," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 185(P2), pages 1292-1302.
    21. Marsh, Philip & Penesis, Irene & Nader, Jean-Roch & Cossu, Remo, 2021. "Multi-criteria evaluation of potential Australian tidal energy sites," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 175(C), pages 453-469.
    22. Mattar, Cristian & Guzmán-Ibarra, María Cristina, 2017. "A techno-economic assessment of offshore wind energy in Chile," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 191-205.
    23. Fabian Scheepers & Markus Stähler & Andrea Stähler & Edward Rauls & Martin Müller & Marcelo Carmo & Werner Lehnert, 2020. "Improving the Efficiency of PEM Electrolyzers through Membrane-Specific Pressure Optimization," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-21, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Qian, Peng & Feng, Bo & Liu, Hao & Tian, Xiange & Si, Yulin & Zhang, Dahai, 2019. "Review on configuration and control methods of tidal current turbines," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 125-139.
    2. Nachtane, M. & Tarfaoui, M. & Goda, I. & Rouway, M., 2020. "A review on the technologies, design considerations and numerical models of tidal current turbines," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 157(C), pages 1274-1288.
    3. Li, Gang & Zhu, Weidong, 2023. "Tidal current energy harvesting technologies: A review of current status and life cycle assessment," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    4. Lo, Jonathan C.C. & Thompson, Mark C. & Hourigan, Kerry & Zhao, Jisheng, 2024. "Order of magnitude increase in power from flow-induced vibrations," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 205(C).
    5. Vermaak, Herman Jacobus & Kusakana, Kanzumba & Koko, Sandile Philip, 2014. "Status of micro-hydrokinetic river technology in rural applications: A review of literature," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 625-633.
    6. Sunny, Anjeli & Darsan, Ardra S. & Rajalekshmi, Subramanian & Ashok, Venkatachalam & Rithanya, Kanagaraj & Kanishga, Loganathan & Arasan, Shanmugam Kavi & Pandikumar, Alagarsamy, 2026. "Device engineering and mechanisms for electrocatalytic water splitting: conventional to decoupled electrolyzer," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 404(C).
    7. Sumit Sood & Om Prakash & Mahdi Boukerdja & Jean-Yves Dieulot & Belkacem Ould-Bouamama & Mathieu Bressel & Anne-Lise Gehin, 2020. "Generic Dynamical Model of PEM Electrolyser under Intermittent Sources," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-34, December.
    8. Shanbhag, Mahesh M. & Mishra, Shanu & Shetti, Nagaraj P. & Pollet, Bruno G. & Kalanur, Shankara S., 2025. "Exploring the role of saline water splitting in sustainable energy solutions and hydrogen economy," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 389(C).
    9. Bharath Kumar Sugumar & Norma Anglani, 2025. "A Novel Decision-Support Framework for Supporting Renewable Energy Technology Siting in the Early Design Stage of Microgrids: Considering Geographical Conditions and Focusing on Resilience and SDGs," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-29, January.
    10. Domenech, John & Eveleigh, Timothy & Tanju, Bereket, 2018. "Marine Hydrokinetic (MHK) systems: Using systems thinking in resource characterization and estimating costs for the practical harvest of electricity from tidal currents," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P1), pages 723-730.
    11. Holanda, Patrícia da Silva & Blanco, Claudio José Cavalcante & Mesquita, André Luiz Amarante & Brasil Junior, Antônio César Pinho & de Figueiredo, Nelio Moura & Macêdo, Emanuel Negrão & Secretan, Yves, 2017. "Assessment of hydrokinetic energy resources downstream of hydropower plants," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 1203-1214.
    12. Faruk Guner & Hilmi Zenk, 2020. "Experimental, Numerical and Application Analysis of Hydrokinetic Turbine Performance with Fixed Rotating Blades," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-15, February.
    13. Fouz, D.M. & Carballo, R. & López, I. & Iglesias, G., 2022. "A holistic methodology for hydrokinetic energy site selection," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 317(C).
    14. Yadav, Siddhita & Kumar, Arun & Pant, Chandra Shekhar, 2026. "Selection criteria for hydro kinetic turbines and implications," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 228(C).
    15. Bakhshandeh Rostami, Ali & Fernandes, Antonio Carlos, 2015. "The effect of inertia and flap on autorotation applied for hydrokinetic energy harvesting," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 312-323.
    16. Yuce, M. Ishak & Muratoglu, Abdullah, 2015. "Hydrokinetic energy conversion systems: A technology status review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 72-82.
    17. Kamal, Md. Mustafa & Saini, R.P., 2022. "A numerical investigation on the influence of savonius blade helicity on the performance characteristics of hybrid cross-flow hydrokinetic turbine," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 190(C), pages 788-804.
    18. Cruz, M. & Henriques, R. & Pinho, J.L. & Avilez-Valente, P. & Bio, A. & Iglesias, I., 2023. "Assessment of the potential for hydrokinetic energy production in the Douro river estuary under sea level rise scenarios," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 271(C).
    19. Montoya Ramírez, Rubén D. & Cuervo, Felipe Isaza & Monsalve Rico, César Antonio, 2016. "Technical and financial valuation of hydrokinetic power in the discharge channels of large hydropower plants in Colombia: A case study," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 136-147.
    20. Li, Ming & Luo, Haojie & Zhou, Shijie & Senthil Kumar, Gokula Manikandan & Guo, Xinman & Law, Tin Chung & Cao, Sunliang, 2022. "State-of-the-art review of the flexibility and feasibility of emerging offshore and coastal ocean energy technologies in East and Southeast Asia," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:396:y:2025:i:c:s0306261925009778. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/405891/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.