IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/renene/v237y2024ipbs0960148124018081.html

Hybrid renewable hydrogen systems in Saudi Arabia: A techno-economic evaluation for three diverse locations

Author

Listed:
  • Barakat, Shimaa
  • Elkhouly, Heba I.
  • Al Muflih, Ali
  • Harraz, Nermine

Abstract

This study presents a techno-economic evaluation of hybrid renewable hydrogen systems in Al Jouf, Yanbu, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, using HOMER software to model and optimize grid-connected and off-grid configurations. Grid-connected systems consistently demonstrate superior cost-effectiveness, achieving lower hydrogen (COH) and energy (COE) costs, particularly in resource-rich regions like Yanbu. Off-grid systems, while more expensive, offer crucial energy independence for remote areas or where grid reliability is a concern. Sensitivity analyses reveal that increasing solar irradiance reduces COH, COE, and net present cost (NPC), along with optimal PV array sizes, especially in grid-connected systems. Wind resources play a significant role in Yanbu, where abundant wind reduces reliance on solar energy. This emphasis on the role of wind resources in Yanbu provides the audience with specific regional factors affecting system design. Off-grid systems exhibit greater sensitivity to demand fluctuations due to their dependence on battery storage. The study highlights the importance of tailoring system designs to local resource availability, climate, and demand. Policy recommendations include promoting grid integration, supporting off-grid solutions in areas with limited grid access, investing in climate-resilient technologies, and fostering regional collaboration for a sustainable hydrogen economy in Saudi Arabia and the Arab region.

Suggested Citation

  • Barakat, Shimaa & Elkhouly, Heba I. & Al Muflih, Ali & Harraz, Nermine, 2024. "Hybrid renewable hydrogen systems in Saudi Arabia: A techno-economic evaluation for three diverse locations," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 237(PB).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:237:y:2024:i:pb:s0960148124018081
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2024.121740
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960148124018081
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.renene.2024.121740?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. Dufo-López, Rodolfo & Bernal-Agustín, José L. & Contreras, Javier, 2007. "Optimization of control strategies for stand-alone renewable energy systems with hydrogen storage," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 32(7), pages 1102-1126.
    2. repec:aen:journl:ej38-si1-blazquez is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Paulescu, Marius & Badescu, Viorel & Budea, Sanda & Dumitrescu, Alexandru, 2022. "Empirical sunshine-based models vs online estimators for solar resources," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    4. Amjad Ali, 2023. "Transforming Saudi Arabia’s Energy Landscape towards a Sustainable Future: Progress of Solar Photovoltaic Energy Deployment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-21, May.
    5. Jorge Blazquez & Lester C Hunt & Baltasar Manzano, 2017. "Oil Subsidies and Renewable Energy in Saudi Arabia: A General Equilibrium Approach," The Energy Journal, , vol. 38(1_suppl), pages 29-46, June.
    6. Khosravi, A. & Koury, R.N.N. & Machado, L. & Pabon, J.J.G., 2018. "Energy, exergy and economic analysis of a hybrid renewable energy with hydrogen storage system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 1087-1102.
    7. Adeola Akinpelu & Md Shafiul Alam & Md Shafiullah & Syed Masiur Rahman & Fahad Saleh Al-Ismail, 2023. "Greenhouse Gas Emission Dynamics of Saudi Arabia: Potential of Hydrogen Fuel for Emission Footprint Reduction," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-14, March.
    8. Matar, Walid & Murphy, Frederic & Pierru, Axel & Rioux, Bertrand & Wogan, David, 2017. "Efficient industrial energy use: The first step in transitioning Saudi Arabia's energy mix," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 80-92.
    9. Iskander Tlili, 2015. "Renewable energy in Saudi Arabia: current status and future potentials," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 17(4), pages 859-886, August.
    10. Fahad Alharbi & Denes Csala, 2020. "Saudi Arabia’s Solar and Wind Energy Penetration: Future Performance and Requirements," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-18, January.
    11. Zhang, Weiping & Maleki, Akbar & Rosen, Marc A. & Liu, Jingqing, 2018. "Optimization with a simulated annealing algorithm of a hybrid system for renewable energy including battery and hydrogen storage," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 191-207.
    12. Abdulsalam S. Alghamdi, 2019. "Potential for Rooftop-Mounted PV Power Generation to Meet Domestic Electrical Demand in Saudi Arabia: Case Study of a Villa in Jeddah," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-29, November.
    13. Montassar Kahia & Anis Omri & Bilel Jarraya, 2020. "Does Green Energy Complement Economic Growth for Achieving Environmental Sustainability? Evidence from Saudi Arabia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-12, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Sana Aljishi & Sarah Alyami & Eman Alghorabi & Hana Faltakh & Hamid Zentou & Mahmoud Abdelnaby & Nouf K. AL-Saleem & G. I. Ameereh & Fawziah Alhajri, 2025. "Techno-Economic Assessment of Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems for Direct Air Capture in Saudi Arabia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-20, August.
    2. Daoudi, Mohammed, 2025. "Hybrid wind energy and hydrogen system for direct CO2 air capture: A case study," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 247(C).

    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. Lihui Zhang & He Xin & Zhinan Kan, 2019. "Sustainability Performance Evaluation of Hybrid Energy System Using an Improved Fuzzy Synthetic Evaluation Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-19, February.
    2. khanmohammadi, Shoaib & Saadat-Targhi, Morteza, 2019. "Performance enhancement of an integrated system with solar flat plate collector for hydrogen production using waste heat recovery," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 1066-1076.
    3. Weinand, Jann Michael & Scheller, Fabian & McKenna, Russell, 2020. "Reviewing energy system modelling of decentralized energy autonomy," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 203(C).
    4. Manal Ayyad Dhif Alshammry & Saqib Muneer, 2023. "The influence of economic development, capital formation, and internet use on environmental degradation in Saudi Arabia," Future Business Journal, Springer, vol. 9(1), pages 1-16, December.
    5. Huang, Chunjun & Zong, Yi & You, Shi & Træholt, Chresten & Zheng, Yi & Wang, Jiawei & Zheng, Zixuan & Xiao, Xianyong, 2023. "Economic and resilient operation of hydrogen-based microgrids: An improved MPC-based optimal scheduling scheme considering security constraints of hydrogen facilities," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 335(C).
    6. Ceran, Bartosz, 2019. "The concept of use of PV/WT/FC hybrid power generation system for smoothing the energy profile of the consumer," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 167(C), pages 853-865.
    7. Akhlaque Ahmad Khan & Ahmad Faiz Minai & Rupendra Kumar Pachauri & Hasmat Malik, 2022. "Optimal Sizing, Control, and Management Strategies for Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems: A Comprehensive Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-29, August.
    8. Yong Zeng & Yanpeng Cai & Guohe Huang & Jing Dai, 2011. "A Review on Optimization Modeling of Energy Systems Planning and GHG Emission Mitigation under Uncertainty," Energies, MDPI, vol. 4(10), pages 1-33, October.
    9. Cengiz Gazeloğlu & Eren Erkılıç, 2025. "Economic Development, Renewable Energy Use, and International Tourism: Strategic Approaches to Carbon Emission Reduction in SICA Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(5), pages 1-22, February.
    10. Donghui Wang & Chunming Liu, 2019. "Combination Optimization Configuration Method of Capacitance and Resistance Devices for Suppressing DC Bias in Transformers," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-13, May.
    11. Hongshan Zhao & Junyang Xu & Kunyu Xu & Jingjie Sun & Yufeng Wang, 2022. "Optimal Allocation Method of Source and Storage Capacity of PV-Hydrogen Zero Carbon Emission Microgrid Considering the Usage Cost of Energy Storage Equipment," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-18, July.
    12. Croce, Leandro Firme & Tiago Filho, Geraldo Lúcio & Santos, Ivan Felipe Silva dos & Barros, Regina Mambeli, 2025. "Attractivity analysis of hybrid energy generation based on current energy market scenarios in Brazil," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 318(C).
    13. Paliwal, Priyanka & Patidar, N.P. & Nema, R.K., 2014. "Determination of reliability constrained optimal resource mix for an autonomous hybrid power system using Particle Swarm Optimization," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 194-204.
    14. Xu Liang & Huifang Kang & Rui Zeng & Yue Pang & Yun Yang & Yunlu Qiu & Yuanxu Tao & Jun Shen, 2024. "Impact of the Structural Parameters on the Performance of a Regenerative-Type Hydrogen Recirculation Blower for Vehicular Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-28, February.
    15. Jiang, Yinghua & Kang, Lixia & Liu, Yongzhong, 2019. "A unified model to optimize configuration of battery energy storage systems with multiple types of batteries," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 176(C), pages 552-560.
    16. Dirk Johan van Vuuren & Annlizé L. Marnewick & Jan Harm C. Pretorius, 2021. "Validation of a Simulation-Based Pre-Assessment Process for Solar Photovoltaic Technology Implemented on Rooftops of South African Shopping Centres," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-26, February.
    17. Erick Alves & Santiago Sanchez & Danilo Brandao & Elisabetta Tedeschi, 2019. "Smart Load Management with Energy Storage for Power Quality Enhancement in Wind-Powered Oil and Gas Applications," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-15, August.
    18. Halmat Omer & Murad Bein, 2022. "Does the Moderating Role of Financial Development on Energy Utilization Contributes to Environmental Sustainability in GCC Economies?," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-16, June.
    19. Wu, Xiong & Qi, Shixiong & Wang, Zhao & Duan, Chao & Wang, Xiuli & Li, Furong, 2019. "Optimal scheduling for microgrids with hydrogen fueling stations considering uncertainty using data-driven approach," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 253(C), pages 1-1.
    20. Lumbumba Taty-Etienne Nyamayoka & Lesedi Masisi & David Dorrell & Shuo Wang, 2025. "Techno-Economic Feasibility and Optimal Design Approach of Grid-Connected Hybrid Power Generation Systems for Electric Vehicle Battery Swapping Station," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-30, March.

    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:renene:v:237:y:2024:i:pb:s0960148124018081. 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.journals.elsevier.com/renewable-energy .

    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.