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Techno-economic analysis of a novel integrated liquid hydrogen and liquid air energy storage system

Author

Listed:
  • Liu, Siyuan
  • Zhai, Rongrong
  • Li, Jingwei
  • Xu, Juan
  • Sun, Xueqi
  • Liu, Lintong

Abstract

To improve the performance of liquid air energy storage and recover the underused cryogenic potential released during liquid hydrogen regasification, this study proposes a large-scale integrated system combining liquid hydrogen regasification, a Brayton cycle, and liquid air energy storage, with a discharge power of 100 MW. A three-stage cascaded Brayton train is employed to recover liquid hydrogen regasification cold energy over a wide temperature range, while excess compression heat from liquid air energy storage and seawater provide dual heat sources to improve temperature matching and operational flexibility. The integrated configuration achieves an electrical round-trip efficiency of 75.91%, compared with 54.98% for standalone liquid air energy storage. Under a broader accounting framework that also considers the contribution of liquid hydrogen cold energy, the overall exergy efficiency is 58.29%. Exergy analysis shows that major irreversibilities are concentrated in coolers and compressors, indicating that heat exchanger matching and compression losses are the main targets for further improvement. Techno-economic evaluation yields a net present value of 194.69 million USD, a levelized cost of electricity of 82.27 USD/MWh, and a payback period of 6.96 years. Sensitivity analysis indicates that turbine and compressor isentropic efficiencies have the strongest influence on economic performance, while cryogenic tank cold losses impose a non-negligible penalty on both efficiency and economics in practical deployment. Overall, the proposed system provides a scalable pathway for integrating liquid hydrogen terminals with grid scale liquid air energy storage to support power systems with high renewable penetration.

Suggested Citation

  • Liu, Siyuan & Zhai, Rongrong & Li, Jingwei & Xu, Juan & Sun, Xueqi & Liu, Lintong, 2026. "Techno-economic analysis of a novel integrated liquid hydrogen and liquid air energy storage system," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 266(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:266:y:2026:i:c:s0960148126005264
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2026.125701
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