IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i14p7804-d593228.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Solar Thermochemical Hydrogen Production in the USA

Author

Listed:
  • Christoph Falter

    (Bauhaus Luftfahrt e.V., Willy-Messerschmitt-Str. 1, 82024 Taufkirchen, Germany
    Current address: Laboratory for Aviation and the Environment, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Avenue 77, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.)

  • Andreas Sizmann

    (Bauhaus Luftfahrt e.V., Willy-Messerschmitt-Str. 1, 82024 Taufkirchen, Germany)

Abstract

Hydrogen produced from renewable energy has the potential to decarbonize parts of the transport sector and many other industries. For a sustainable replacement of fossil energy carriers, both the environmental and economic performance of its production are important. Here, the solar thermochemical hydrogen pathway is characterized with a techno-economic and life-cycle analysis. Assuming a further increase of conversion efficiency and a reduction of investment costs, it is found that hydrogen can be produced in the United States of America at costs of 2.1–3.2 EUR/kg (2.4–3.6 USD/kg) at specific greenhouse gas emissions of 1.4 kg CO 2- eq/kg. A geographical potential analysis shows that a maximum of 8.4 × 10 11 kg per year can be produced, which corresponds to about twelve times the current global and about 80 times the current US hydrogen production. The best locations are found in the Southwest of the US, which have a high solar irradiation and short distances to the sea, which is beneficial for access to desalinated water. Unlike for petrochemical products, the transport of hydrogen could potentially present an obstacle in terms of cost and emissions under unfavorable circumstances. Given a large-scale deployment, low-cost transport seems, however, feasible.

Suggested Citation

  • Christoph Falter & Andreas Sizmann, 2021. "Solar Thermochemical Hydrogen Production in the USA," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-15, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:14:p:7804-:d:593228
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/14/7804/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/14/7804/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Nicodemus, Julia Haltiwanger, 2018. "Technological learning and the future of solar H2: A component learning comparison of solar thermochemical cycles and electrolysis with solar PV," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 100-109.
    2. Yang, Christopher & Ogden, Joan M, 2007. "Determining the lowest-cost hydrogen delivery mode," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt1804p4vw, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    3. Yang, Christopher & Ogden, Joan M, 2007. "Determining the lowest-cost hydrogen delivery mode," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt7p3500g2, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    4. Christoph Falter & Niklas Scharfenberg & Antoine Habersetzer, 2020. "Geographical Potential of Solar Thermochemical Jet Fuel Production," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-32, February.
    5. Bareiß, Kay & de la Rua, Cristina & Möckl, Maximilian & Hamacher, Thomas, 2019. "Life cycle assessment of hydrogen from proton exchange membrane water electrolysis in future energy systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 237(C), pages 862-872.
    6. Sooriyaarachchi, Thilanka M. & Tsai, I-Tsung & El Khatib, Sameh & Farid, Amro M. & Mezher, Toufic, 2015. "Job creation potentials and skill requirements in, PV, CSP, wind, water-to-energy and energy efficiency value chains," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 653-668.
    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. Xiangjun Yu & Wenlei Lian & Ke Gao & Zhixing Jiang & Cheng Tian & Nan Sun & Hangbin Zheng & Xinrui Wang & Chao Song & Xianglei Liu, 2022. "Solar Thermochemical CO 2 Splitting Integrated with Supercritical CO 2 Cycle for Efficient Fuel and Power Generation," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-20, October.
    2. Arnob Das & Susmita Datta Peu, 2022. "A Comprehensive Review on Recent Advancements in Thermochemical Processes for Clean Hydrogen Production to Decarbonize the Energy Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-42, September.
    3. Stéphane Abanades, 2022. "Redox Cycles, Active Materials, and Reactors Applied to Water and Carbon Dioxide Splitting for Solar Thermochemical Fuel Production: A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-28, September.

    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. Steven Jackson & Eivind Brodal, 2021. "Optimization of a Mixed Refrigerant Based H 2 Liquefaction Pre-Cooling Process and Estimate of Liquefaction Performance with Varying Ambient Temperature," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-18, September.
    2. Olateju, Babatunde & Kumar, Amit, 2013. "Techno-economic assessment of hydrogen production from underground coal gasification (UCG) in Western Canada with carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) for upgrading bitumen from oil sands," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 428-440.
    3. Becker, W.L. & Braun, R.J. & Penev, M. & Melaina, M., 2012. "Production of Fischer–Tropsch liquid fuels from high temperature solid oxide co-electrolysis units," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 99-115.
    4. Chang, Le & Li, Zheng & Gao, Dan & Huang, He & Ni, Weidou, 2007. "Pathways for hydrogen infrastructure development in China: Integrated assessment for vehicle fuels and a case study of Beijing," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 32(11), pages 2023-2037.
    5. Lin, Zhenhong & Fan, Yueyue & Ogden, Joan M & Chen, Chien-Wei, 2008. "Optimized Pathways for Regional H2 Infrastructure Transitions: A Case Study for Southern California," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt9mk5n8jn, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    6. Yongxi Huang & Yueyue Fan & Nils Johnson, 2010. "Multistage System Planning for Hydrogen Production and Distribution," Networks and Spatial Economics, Springer, vol. 10(4), pages 455-472, December.
    7. Niermann, M. & Timmerberg, S. & Drünert, S. & Kaltschmitt, M., 2021. "Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers and alternatives for international transport of renewable hydrogen," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    8. Hoffmann, Maximilian & Priesmann, Jan & Nolting, Lars & Praktiknjo, Aaron & Kotzur, Leander & Stolten, Detlef, 2021. "Typical periods or typical time steps? A multi-model analysis to determine the optimal temporal aggregation for energy system models," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 304(C).
    9. Olfa Tlili & Christine Mansilla & Jochen Linβen & Markus Reuss & Thomas Grube & Martin Robinius & Jean André & Yannick Perez & Alain Le Duigou & Detlef Stolten, 2020. "Geospatial modelling of the hydrogen infrastructure in France in order to identify the most suited supply chains," Post-Print hal-02421359, HAL.
    10. Reuß, Markus & Grube, Thomas & Robinius, Martin & Stolten, Detlef, 2019. "A hydrogen supply chain with spatial resolution: Comparative analysis of infrastructure technologies in Germany," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 247(C), pages 438-453.
    11. Forghani, Kamran & Kia, Reza & Nejatbakhsh, Yousef, 2023. "A multi-period sustainable hydrogen supply chain model considering pipeline routing and carbon emissions: The case study of Oman," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    12. Li, Guozhen, 2023. "The Hydrogen Fuel Pathway for Air Transportation," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt3sh5x1vk, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    13. Brynolf, Selma & Taljegard, Maria & Grahn, Maria & Hansson, Julia, 2018. "Electrofuels for the transport sector: A review of production costs," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P2), pages 1887-1905.
    14. Lin, Zhenhong & Ogden, Joan & Fan, Yueyue & Chen, Chien-Wei, 2009. "The Fuel-Travel-Back Approach to Hydrogen Station Siting," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt14p44238, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    15. Parker, Nathan C, 2007. "Optimizing the Design of Biomass Hydrogen Supply Chains Using Real-World Spatial Distributions: A Case Study Using California Rice Straw," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt8sp9n37c, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    16. Stöckl, Fabian & Schill, Wolf-Peter & Zerrahn, Alexander, 2021. "Optimal supply chains and power sector benefits of green hydrogen," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 11.
    17. Brey, J.J. & Carazo, A.F. & Brey, R., 2018. "Exploring the marketability of fuel cell electric vehicles in terms of infrastructure and hydrogen costs in Spain," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 82(P3), pages 2893-2899.
    18. Lu Zhu & Lanli Hu & Serhat Yüksel & Hasan Dinçer & Hüsne Karakuş & Gözde Gülseven Ubay, 2020. "Analysis of Strategic Directions in Sustainable Hydrogen Investment Decisions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-19, June.
    19. van Leeuwen, Charlotte & Mulder, Machiel, 2018. "Power-to-gas in electricity markets dominated by renewables," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 232(C), pages 258-272.
    20. Campíñez-Romero, Severo & Colmenar-Santos, Antonio & Pérez-Molina, Clara & Mur-Pérez, Francisco, 2018. "A hydrogen refuelling stations infrastructure deployment for cities supported on fuel cell taxi roll-out," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 1018-1031.

    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:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:14:p:7804-:d:593228. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.