Canada

The NREL Sensor Laboratory has been developing an analyzer that can verify compliance to the international United Nations Global Technical Regulation number 13 (GTR 13--Global Technical Regulation on Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Vehicles) prescriptive requirements pertaining to allowable hydrogen levels in the exhaust of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) [1]. GTR 13 prescribes that the FCEV exhaust shall remain below 4 vol% H2 over a 3-second moving average and shall not at any time exceed 8 vol% H2 as verified with an analyzer with a response time (t90) of 300 ms or faster. GTR 13 has been implemented and is to serve as the basis for national regulations pertaining to hydrogen powered vehicle safety in the United States Canada Japan and the European Union. In the U.S. vehicle safety is overseen by the Department of Transportation (DOT) through the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) and in Canada by Transport Canada through the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS). The NREL FCEV exhaust analyzer is based upon a low-cost commercial hydrogen sensor with a response time (t90) of less than 250 ms. A prototype analyzer and gas probe assembly have been constructed and tested that can interface to the gas sampling system used by Environment and Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC) Emission Research and Measurement Section (ERMS) for the exhaust gas analysis. Through a partnership with Transport Canada ECCC will analyze the hydrogen level in the exhaust of a commercial FCEV. ECCC will use the NREL FCEV Exhaust Gas analyzer to perform these measurements. The analyzer was demonstrated on a FCEV operating under simulated road conditions using a chassis dynamometer at a private facility.

The decreasing abundance of conventional energy resources of nature such as crude oil natural gas and coal is putting forward the issues of energy shortcoming for the future. With a sentiment of this most researchers are now directing either on non-conventional resources that already prevail or invent it. The most promising non-conventional energy resource is the hydrogen energy which can be used in fuel cell to get electricity. Therefore a number of researchers are putting a light on developing the most efficient and affordable fuel cell. This review is mainly focused on the developments of proton exchange membranes (PEMs) in two parts as low and high temperature PEMs for proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) and based on that some outperformed PEMs are mentioned in the respective tables. Most of the energy and automobile industries are concentrating to apply PEMFCs for power generation and to apply in vehicles. The cost of PEMFCs is higher due to the manufacturing cost of PEM. Therefore research works in PEMs are now in trend to reduce the cost to improve efficiency and to withstand particular operating conditions. In this review article recent developments in PEM by number of researchers and the importance of it in near future have been elicited.

Reducing the carbon emissions from trucks is critical to achieving the carbon peak of road freight. Based on the prediction of truck population and well-to-wheel (WTW) emission analysis of traditional diesel trucks and potential clean trucks including natural gas battery-electric plug-in hybrid electric and hydrogen fuel cell the paper analyzed the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of China's road freight under four scenarios including baseline policy facilitation (PF) technology breakthrough (TB) and PF-TB. The truck population from 2021 to 2035 is predicted based on regression analysis by selecting the data from 2002 to 2020 of the main variables such as the GDP scale road freight turnover road freight volume and the number of trucks. The study forecasts the truck population of different segments such as mini-duty trucks (MiDT) light-duty trucks (LDT) medium-duty trucks (MDT) and heavy-duty trucks (HDT). Relevant WTW emissions data are collected and adopted based on the popular truck in China's market PHEVs have better emission intensity especially in the HDT field which reduces by 51% compared with ICEVs. Results show that the scenario of TB and PF-TB can reach the carbon peak with 0.13% and 1.5% total GHG emissions reduction per year. In contrast the baseline and PF scenario fail the carbon peak due to only focusing on the number of clean trucks while lacking the restrictions on the GHG emission factors of energy and ignoring the improvement of trucks' energy efficiency and the total emissions increased by 29.76% and 16.69% respectively compared with 2020. As the insights adopting clean trucks has an important but limited effect which should coordinate with the transition to low carbon energy and the melioration of clean trucks to reach the carbon peak of road freight in China.

Replacing fossil fuels with energy sources and carriers that are sustainable environmentally benign and affordable is amongst the most pressing challenges for future socio-economic development. To that goal hydrogen is presumed to be the most promising energy carrier. Electrocatalytic water splitting if driven by green electricity would provide hydrogen with minimal CO2 footprint. The viability of water electrolysis still hinges on the availability of durable earth-abundant electrocatalyst materials and the overall process efficiency. This review spans from the fundamentals of electrocatalytically initiated water splitting to the very latest scientific findings from university and institutional research also covering specifications and special features of the current industrial processes and those processes currently being tested in large-scale applications. Recently developed strategies are described for the optimisation and discovery of active and durable materials for electrodes that ever-increasingly harness first principles calculations and machine learning. In addition a technoeconomic analysis of water electrolysis is included that allows an assessment of the extent to which a large-scale implementation of water splitting can help to combat climate change. This review article is intended to cross-pollinate and strengthen efforts from fundamental understanding to technical implementation and to improve the ‘junctions’ between the field’s physical chemists materials scientists and engineers as well as stimulate much-needed exchange among these groups on challenges encountered in the different domains.

Hydrogen is believed to be the future energy carrier that will reduce environmental pollution and solve the current energy crisis especially when produced from a renewable energy source. Solar energy is a renewable source that has been commonly utilized in the production process of hydrogen for years because it is inexhaustible clean and free. Generally hydrogen is produced by means of a water splitting process mainly electrolysis which requires energy input provided by harvesting solar energy. The proposed model integrates the solar harvesting system into a conventional Rankine cycle producing electrical and thermal power used in domestic applications and hydrogen by high temperature electrolysis (HTE) using a solid oxide steam electrolyzer (SOSE). The model is divided into three subsystems: the solar collector(s) the steam cycle and an electrolysis subsystem where the performance of each subsystem and their effect on the overall efficiency is evaluated thermodynamically using first and second laws. A parametric study investigating the hydrogen production rate upon varying system operating conditions (e.g. solar flux and area of solar collector) is conducted on both parabolic troughs and heliostat fields as potential solar energy harvesters. Results have shown that heliostat-based systems were able to attain optimum performance with an overall thermal efficiency of 27% and a hydrogen production rate of 0.411 kg/s whereas parabolic trough-based systems attained an overall thermal efficiency of 25.35% and produced 0.332 kg/s of hydrogen.

A proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) system requires an adequate hydrogen supply and circulation to achieve its expected performance and operating life. An ejector-based hydrogen circulation system can reduce the operating and maintenance costs noise and parasitic power consumption by eliminating the recirculation pump. However the ejector’s hydrogen entrainment capability restricted by its geometric parameters and flow control variability can only operate properly within a relatively narrow range of fuel cell output power. This research introduced the optimal design and operation control methods of a dual-ejector hydrogen supply/circulation system to support the full range of PEMFC system operations. The technique was demonstrated on a 70 kW PEMFC stack with an effective hydrogen entrainment ratio covering 8% to 100% of its output power. The optimal geometry design ensured each ejector covered a specific output power range with maximized entrainment capability. Furthermore the optimal control of hydrogen flow and the two ejectors’ opening and closing times minimized the anode gas pressure fluctuation and reduced the potential harm to the PEMFC’s operation life. The optimizations were based on dedicated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and system dynamics models and simulations. Bench tests of the resulting ejector-based hydrogen supply/circulation system verified the simulation and optimization results.

Proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are regarded as promising alternatives to internal combustion engines (ICEs) to reduce pollution. Recent research on PEMFCs focuses on achieving higher power densities reducing the refueling time mitigating the final price and decreasing the degradations to facilitate the commercialization of hydrogen mobility. The design of bipolar plates and compression kits in addition to their coating can effectively improve performance increase durability and support water/thermal management. Past reviews usually focused on the specific aspect which can hardly provide readers with a complete picture of the key challenges facing and advances in the long-term performance of PEMFCs. This paper aims to deliver a comprehensive source to review from both experimental analytical and numerical viewpoints design challenges degradation modeling protective coatings for bipolar plates and key operational challenges facing and solutions to the stack to prevent contamination. The significant research gaps in the long-term performance of PEMFCs are identified as (1) improved bipolar-plate design and coating (2) the optimization of the design of sealing and compression kits to reduce mechanical stresses and (3) stack degradation regarding fuel contamination and dynamic operation.

This study identifies limitations and research and development (R&D) gaps at both the component and system levels for hydrogen energy systems (HESs) and specifies how these limitations impact HES adoption within the electric power system (EPS) decarbonization roadmap. To trace these limitations and potential solutions an analytical review is conducted in electrification and integration of HESs renewable energy sources (RESs) and multi-carrier energy systems (MCESs) in sequence. The study also innovatively categorizes HES integration challenges into component and system levels. At the component level technological aspects of hydrogen generation storage transportation and refueling are explored. At the system level HES coordination hydrogen market frameworks and adoption challenges are evaluated. Findings highlight R&D gaps including misalignment between HES operational targets and techno-economic development integration insufficiency model deficiencies and challenges in operational complexity. This study provides insights for sustainable energy integration by supporting the transition to a decarbonized energy system.

In response to environmental concerns related to carbon and nitrogen emissions hydrogen-powered aircraft (HPA) are poised for significant development over the coming decades driven by advances in power electronics technology. However HPA systems present complex multi-domain challenges encompassing electrical hydraulic mechanical and chemical disciplines necessitating efficient modeling and robust validation platforms. This paper introduces a physics-informed machine learning (PIML) approach for multi-domain HPA system modeling enhanced by hardware accelerated parallel hardware emulation to construct a real-time digital twin. It delves into the physical analysis of various HPA subsystems whose equations form the basis for both traditional numerical solution methods like Euler’s and Runge-Kutta methods (RKM) as well as the physics-informed neural networks (PINN) components developed herein. By comparing physics-feature neural networks (PFNN) and PINN with conventional neural network strategies this paper elucidates their advantages and limitations in practical applications. The final implementation on the Xilinx® UltraScale+™ VCU128 FPGA platform showcases the PIML method’s high efficiency accuracy data independence and adherence to established physical laws demonstrating its potential for advancing real-time multi-domain HPA emulation.

Hydrogen has become a key enabler for decarbonization as countries pledge to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. With hydrogen infrastructure expanding rapidly beyond its established applications there is a requirement for robust safety practices solutions and regulations. Since the 1980s considerable efforts have been undertaken by the nuclear community to address hydrogen safety issues because in severe accidents of water-cooled nuclear reactors a large amount of hydrogen can be produced from the oxidation of metallic components with steam. As evidenced in the Fukushima accident hydrogen combustion can cause severe damage to reactor building structures promoting the release of radioactive fission products to the environment. A number of large-scale experiments were conducted in the framework of national and international projects to understand the hydrogen dispersion and combustion behaviour under postulated accidental conditions. Empirical engineering models and numerical codes were developed and validated for safety analysis. Hydrogen recombiners known as Passive Autocatalytic Recombiner (PAR) were developed and have been widely installed in nuclear containments to mitigate hydrogen risk. Complementary actions and strategies were established as part of severe accident management guidelines to prevent or limit the consequences of hydrogen explosions. In addition hydrogen monitoring systems were developed and implemented in nuclear power plants. The experience and knowledge gained from the nuclear community on hydrogen safety is valuable and applicable for other industries involving hydrogen production transport storage and use.

Considerable progress has been made recently in the use of nanoporous materials for hydrogen storage. In this article the current status of the field and future challenges are discussed ranging from important open fundamental questions such as the density and volume of the adsorbed phase and its relationship to overall storage capacity to the development of new functional materials and complete storage system design. With regard to fundamentals the use of neutron scattering to study adsorbed H2 suitable adsorption isotherm equations and the accurate computational modelling and simulation of H2 adsorption are discussed. The new materials covered include flexible metal–organic frameworks core–shell materials and porous organic cage compounds. The article concludes with a discussion of the experimental investigation of real adsorptive hydrogen storage tanks the improvement in the thermal conductivity of storage beds and new storage system concepts and designs.

During a severe accident in a nuclear power plant one of the potential threats to the containment is the occurrence of energetic combustion events. In modern plants Severe Accident Management Guidelines (SAMG) as well as dedicated mitigation hardware are in place to minimize/mitigate this combustion risk and thus avoid the release of radioactive material into the environment. Advancements in SAMGs are in the focus of AMHYCO an EU-funded Horizon 2020 project officially launched on October 1st 2020. The project consortium consists of 12 organizations (from six European countries and one from Canada) and is coordinated by the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM). The progress made in the first two years of the AMHYCO project is here presented. A comprehensive bibliographic review has been conducted providing a common foundation to build the knowledge gained during the project. After an extensive set of accident transients simulated both for phases occurring inside and outside the reactor pressure vessel a set of challenging sequences from the combustion risk perspective for different power plant types were identified. At the same time three generic containment models for the three considered reactor designs have been created to provide the full containment analysis simulations with lumped parameter models 3-dimensional containment codes and CFD codes. In order to further consolidate the model base combustion experiments and performance tests on passive auto-catalytic recombiners under explosion prone H2/CO atmospheres were performed at CNRS (France) and FZJ (Germany). Finally it is worth saying that the experimental data and engineering models generated from the AMHYCO project are useful for other industries outside the nuclear one.

Based on the concept of sustainable development to promote the development and application of renewable energy and enhance the capacity of renewable energy consumption this paper studies the design and optimization of renewable energy hydrogen production systems. For this paper six different scenarios for grid-connected and off-grid renewable energy hydrogen production systems were designed and analyzed economically and technically and the optimal grid-connected and off-grid systems were selected. Subsequently the optimal system solution was optimized by analyzing the impact of the load data and component capacity on the grid dependency of the grid-connected hydrogen production system and the excess power rate of the off-grid hydrogen production system. Based on the simulation results the most matched load data and component capacity of different systems after optimization were determined. The grid-supplied power of the optimized grid-connected hydrogen production system decreased by 3347 kWh and the excess power rate of the off-grid hydrogen production system decreased from 38.6% to 10.3% resulting in a significant improvement in the technical and economic performance of the system.

The recognition of hydrogen as a technically viable combustion fuel and as an alternative to more carbon intensive technologies for all forms of industrial applications has resulted in significant global interest leading to both public and private investment. As with most shifts in technology public acceptance and its safe production and handling will be key to its growth as a widespread energy vector. Specific properties of hydrogen that may prompt concern from the public and that need to be considered in terms of its use and safe handling include the following:<br/>• Hydrogen in its natural state is a colourless odourless and tasteless gas that is combustible with very low ignition energy burns nearly invisibly and is explosive at a very wide range of concentrations with an oxidate.<br/>• Hydrogen as any other gas except oxygen is an asphyxiant in a confined space.<br/>• Hydrogen is an extremely small molecule and interacts with many materials which over time can alter the physical properties and can lead to embrittlement and failure. Additionally due to the small molecular size its permeation and diffusion characteristics make it more difficult to contain compared to other gases.<br/>As hydrogen production use and storage increases these properties will come under greater scrutiny and may raise questions surrounding the cost/benefit of the technology. Understanding how the public sees this technology in relation to their safety and daily lives is important in hydrogen’s adoption as a low carbon alternative. A review of deployable experience relevant to the handling of hydrogen in other industries will help us to understand the technology and experience necessary for ensuring the success of the scaling up of a hydrogen economy. The social considerations of the impacts should also be examined to consider acceptance of the technology as it moves into the mainstream.

Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) is a risk-informed approach that considers past performances and the likelihood of events and distinguishes must-haves from nice-to-haves. Following the approach applied for the HyRAM code developed by the Sandia National Laboratories a QRA toolkit for hydrogen systems was developed using MATLAB by Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL). Based on user inputs for system components and their operating parameters the toolkit calculates the consequence of a hydrogen leak from the system. The fatality likelihood can be estimated from the severity of a person’s exposure to radiant heat flux (from a jet fire) and overpressure (from an explosion). This paper presents a verification and validation exercise by comparing the CNL model predictions with the HyRAM code and available experimental data including a QRA case study for a locomotive. The analysis produces risk contours recommending personnel (employees/public) numbers time spent and safe separation distances near the incident (during maintenance or an accident). The case study demonstrated the importance of hydrogen leak sensors’ reliability for leak detection and isolation. The QRA toolkit calculates a more practical value of the safe separation distance for hydrogen installations and provides evidence to support communication with authorities and other stakeholders for decision-making.

Building safe and convenient fuelling stations is key to deploying the arrival of commercial/public-use fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). As the most public-facing hydrogen applications second only to the FCEVs hydrogen stations are an efficient tool to educate the public about hydrogen safety and normalize its use to fill up our vehicles. However as an emerging technology it is the industry’s responsibility to ensure that fuelling infrastructures are designed and maintained in accordance with established safety standards and thus that the fuelling process is inherently safe for all users. On the other end it is essential that consumers have all the necessary information at reach to help them feel safe while fuelling their zero-emission vehicles.<br/>This paper will provide a snapshot of the safety systems used to help protect members of the public using hydrogen fueling stations as well as the information used to educate people using this equipment. This will cover the different processes involved in hydrogen fueling stations the dangers that are present to customers and members of the public at these sites and the engineering design choices and equipment used to mitigate these dangers or prevent them from happening. Finally this paper will discuss the crucial role of understanding the dangers of hydrogen at a public level and showing the importance of educating the public about hydrogen infrastructure so that people will feel comfortable using it in their everyday lives.

With the massive use of traditional fossil fuels greenhouse gas emissions are increasing and environmental pollution is becoming an increasingly serious problem which led to an imminent energy transition. Therefore the development and application of renewable energy are particularly important. This paper reviews a wide range of issues associated with hybrid renewable energy systems (HRESs). The issues concerning system configurations energy storage options simulation and optimization with artificial intelligence are discussed in detail. Storage technology options are introduced for stand-alone (off-grid) and grid-connected (on-grid) HRESs. Different optimization methodologies including classical techniques intelligent techniques hybrid techniques and software tools for sizing system components are presented. Besides the artificial intelligence methods for optimizing the solar/wind HRESs are discussed in detail.

Hydrogen is gaining prominence as a sustainable energy source in the UK aligning with the country’s commitment to advancing sustainable development across diverse sectors. However a rigorous examination of the interplay between the hydrogen economy and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is imperative. This study addresses this imperative by comprehensively assessing the risks associated with hydrogen production storage transportation and utilization. The overarching aim is to establish a robust framework that ensures the secure deployment and operation of hydrogen-based technologies within the UK’s sustainable development trajectory. Considering the unique characteristics of the UK’s energy landscape infrastructure and policy framework this paper presents practical and viable recommendations to facilitate the safe and effective integration of hydrogen energy into the UK’s SDGs. To facilitate sophisticated decision making it proposes using an advanced Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) tool incorporating regret theory and a 2-tuple spherical linguistic environment. This tool enables a nuanced decision-making process yielding actionable insights. The analysis reveals that Incident Reporting and Learning Robust Regulatory Framework Safety Standards and Codes are pivotal safety factors. At the same time Clean Energy Access Climate Action and Industry Innovation and Infrastructure are identified as the most influential SDGs. This information provides valuable guidance for policymakers industry stakeholders and regulators. It empowers them to make well-informed strategic decisions and prioritize actions that bolster safety and sustainable development as the UK transitions towards a hydrogen-based energy system. Moreover the findings underscore the varying degrees of prominence among different SDGs. Notably SDG 13 (Climate Action) exhibits relatively lower overall distinction at 0.0066 and a Relation value of 0.0512 albeit with a substantial impact. In contrast SDG 7 (Clean Energy Access) and SDG 9 (Industry Innovation and Infrastructure) demonstrate moderate prominence levels (0.0559 and 0.0498 respectively) each with its unique influence emphasizing their critical roles in the UK’s pursuit of a sustainable hydrogen-based energy future.

This study presents an enhancement to the Switch optimization model for hydrogen energy planning by integrating the capability to consider the construction and operation of hydrogen electrolysis plants and the operation of water distribution systems. This integration was achieved through the addition of two new modules and their effectiveness is demonstrated through their application in a case study for Durham region. The study highlights the significance of incorporating water distribution systems into energy planning demonstrating how optimal locations for hydrogen plants can significantly influence water and power demand as well as alter the total operating costs. The enhanced Switch model showcases its improved capability to assist policymakers and stakeholders in transitioning towards a sustainable energy future.

Solar energy is important for the future as it provides a clean renewable source of electricity that can help combat climate change by reducing reliance on fossil fuels via implementing various solar-based energy systems. In this study a unique configuration for a parabolic-trough-based solar system is presented that allows energy storage for periods of time with insufficient solar radiation. This model based on extensive analysis in MATLAB utilizing real-time weather data demonstrates promising results with strong practical applicability. An organic Rankine cycle with a regenerative configuration is applied to produce electricity which is further utilized for hydrogen generation. A proton exchange membrane electrolysis (PEME) unit converts electricity to hydrogen a clean and versatile energy carrier since the electricity is solar based. To harness the maximum value from this system additional energy during peak times is used to produce clean water utilizing a reverse osmosis (RO) desalination unit. The system’s performance is examined by conducting a case study for the city of Antalya Turkey to attest to the unit’s credibility and performance. This system is also optimized via the Grey Wolf multi-objective algorithm from energy exergy and techno-economic perspectives. For the optimization scenario performed the energy and exergy efficiencies of the system and the levelized cost of products are found to be approximately 26.5% 28.5% and 0.106 $/kWh respectively.

Hydrogen holds immense potential to assist in the transition from fossil fuels to sustainable energy sources but its environmental impact depends on how it is produced. This study introduces the pale-blue hydrogen production method which is a hybrid approach utilizing both carbon capture and bioenergy inputs. Comparative life cycle analysis is shown for grey blue green and pale-blue hydrogen using cumulative energy demand carbon footprint (CF) and water footprint. Additionally the integration of solar-powered production methods (ground-based photovoltaic and floating photovoltaic (FPV) systems) is examined. The results showed blue hydrogen [steam methane reforming (SMR) + 56% carbon capture storage (CCS)] was 72% less green hydrogen gas membrane (GM) 75% less blue hydrogen [SMR+90%CCS] 88% less and green hydrogen FPV have 90% less CF compared to grey hydrogen. Pale-blue hydrogen [50%B-50%G] blue hydrogen (GM + plasma reactor(PR)) PV and blue hydrogen (GM + PR) FPV offset 26 48 and 52 times the emissions of grey hydrogen.

Novel hydrogen-based aircraft concepts pose significant challenges for the system development process. This paper proposes a generic adaptable and multidisciplinary framework for integrated model-based systems engineering (MBSE) and model-based safety assessment (MBSA) for the conceptual design of complex systems. The framework employs a multi-granularity modelcentric approach whereby the architectural specification is utilized for design as well as query purposes as part of a qualitative and quantitative graphbased preliminary safety assessment. For the qualitative assessment design and safety rules based on existing standards and best practices are formalized in the model and applied to a graph-based architecture representation. Consequently the remaining architectures are quantitatively assessed using automated fault trees. This safety-integrated approach is applied to the conceptual design of a liquid hydrogen fuel system architecture as a novel uncertain and complex system with many unknown system interrelations. This paper illustrates the potential of a combined MBSE-MBSA framework to streamline complex early-stage system design and demonstrates that all qualitatively down-selected hydrogen system architecture variants also satisfy quantitative assessment. Furthermore it is shown that the design space of novel systems is also constrained by safety and certification requirements significantly reducing the number of actual feasible solutions.

It is believed that hydrogen will play an essential role in energy transition and achieving the net-zero target by 2050. Currently global hydrogen production mostly relies on processing fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas commonly referred to as grey hydrogen production while releasing substantial amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2). Developing economically and technologically viable pathways for hydrogen production while eliminating CO2 emissions becomes paramount. In this critical review we examine the common grey hydrogen production techniques by analyzing their technical characteristics production efficiency and costs. We further analyze the integration of carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) technology establishing the zero-carbon strategy transiting from grey to blue hydrogen production with CO2 capture and either utilized or permanently stored. Today grey hydrogen production exhibits technological diversities with various commercial maturities. Most methods rely on the effectiveness of catalysts necessitating a solution to address catalyst fouling and sintering in practice. Although CCUS captures utilizes or stores CO2 during grey hydrogen production its wide application faces multiple challenges regarding the technological complexity cost and environmental benefits. It is urgent to develop technologically mature low-cost and low-energy-consumption CCUS technology implementing extensive large-scale integrated pilot projects.

This study evaluates the techno-economic feasibility of integrating wind power with hydrogen-based storage to decarbonize the Raglan Mine in northern Canada. Using HOMER simulations with real 2021 operational data six progressive scenarios were modeled ranging from partial substitution of diesel generators to complete site-wide electrification including heating transport and mining equipment. Results show that complete decarbonization (Scenario 6) is technically achievable and could avoid up to 143000 tCO2eq annually (~2.15 Mt over 15 years) but remains economically prohibitive under current technology costs. In contrast Scenario 2 Case 2 which combines solid oxide fuel cells with thermal charge controllers emerges as the most viable near-term pathway avoiding ~61000 tCO2eq annually (~0.91 Mt over 15 years) while achieving improved return on investment. A qualitative multi-criteria framework highlights this configuration as the best trade-off between technical feasibility environmental performance and economic viability. At the same time complete decarbonization remains a longer-term target contingent on cost reductions and policy support. Overall the findings provide clear evidence that hydrogen storage when coupled with wind power can deliver substantial and measurable decarbonization benefits for Arctic mining operations.

This study presents the synthesis and evaluation of activated carbon derived from spent coffee grounds using three distinct activation methods namely chemical ultrasound-assisted and surface magnetized. The characterization studies of materials are used to evaluate hydrogen storage performance under varying pressure and temperature conditions. The gravimetric measurements are employed to assess the physisorption capacities while electrochemical techniques such as LSV CV and GCD evaluate hydrogen related charge storage behavior. The activation methods affect surface morphology and elemental composition of the activated carbon samples as confirmed by SEM and EDS analyses. Among the three chemically activated carbon exhibits the highest hydrogen uptake achieving 0.362 wt% at 0 ◦C and 4 kPa which is attributed to its highly porous structure. The ultrasound-assisted and surface magnetized samples exhibitmaximum capacities of 0.357 wt% and 0.339 wt% respectively. This study underlines the potential of coffee waste as a sustainable carbon precursor and introduces a dual-characterization approach.