United Kingdom

The integration of Variable Renewable Energy (VRE) sources in power systems is increased for a sustainable environment. However due to the intermittent nature of VRE sources formulating efficient economic dispatching strategies becomes challenging. This systematic review aims to elucidate the economic value creation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in supporting the integration of VRE sources into power systems by reviewing the role of AI in mitigating costs related to balancing profile and grid with a focus on its applications for generation and demand forecasting market design demand response storage solutions power quality enhancement and predictive maintenance. The proposed study evaluates the AI potential in economic efficiency and operational reliability improvement by analyzing the use cases with various Renewable Energy Resources (RERs) including wind solar geothermal hydro ocean bioenergy hydrogen and hybrid systems. Furthermore the study also highlights the development and limitations of AI-driven approaches in renewable energy sector. The findings of this review aim to highlight AI’s critical role in optimizing VRE integration ultimately informing policymakers researchers and industry stakeholders about the potential of AI for an economically sustainable and resilient energy infrastructure.

Zero-emission fuels are expected to drive the maritime sector decarbonisation with hydrogen emerging as a long-term solution. This study aims to investigate by using CFD modelling a hydrogen fuelled marine dual-fuel engine to identify operating settings ranges for different hydrogen energy fractions (HEF) as well as parametrically optimise the diesel fuel injection timing and temperature at inlet valve closing (IVC). A large marine four-stroke engine with nominal power of 10.5 MW at 500 rev/m is considered assuming operation at 90 % load and hydrogen injection in the cylinders intake ports. CFD models are developed for several operating scenarios in both diesel and dual-fuel modes. The models are validated against measured data for the engine diesel mode and literature data for a hydrogen-fuelled light-duty engine. A convergence study is conducted to select the grid compromising between computational effort and accuracy. Parametric runs for 20 % 40 % and 60 % HEF with different IVC temperature and diesel start of injection are modelled to quantify the engine performance emissions and combustion characteristics. A single parameter optimisation is conducted to determine the most effective pilot diesel injection timings. The results reveal the IVC temperature range for stable hydrogen combustion to avoid incomplete combustion at low IVC temperature and knocking above 360 K. The proposed settings lead to higher peak heat release rate and in-cylinder pressure compared to the diesel mode without exceeding the permissible in-cylinder pressure rise limits for 60 % HEF. However NOx emissions increase to 12.9 g/kWh in the dual-fuel mode. The optimal start of injection (SOI) for the diesel fuel in the case of 60 % HEF is found 8 ◦CA BTDC resulting in an indicated thermal efficiency of 43.2 % and stable combustion. Advancing SOI beyond the optimal value results in incomplete combustion. This is the first study on hydrogen use in large marine four-stroke engines providing insights for the engine design and operation and as such it contributes to the maritime industry decarbonisation efforts.

The global emphasis on clean energy has increased interest in producing hydrogen from petroleum reservoirs through in situ combustion-based processes. While field practices have demonstrated the feasibility of co-producing hydrogen and oil the question of which offers greater economic potential oil or hydrogen remains central to ongoing discussions especially as researchers explore ways to produce hydrogen exclusively from petroleum reservoirs. This study presents the first integrated techno-economic model comparing oil and hydrogen production under varying injection strategies using CMG STARS for reservoir simulations and GoldSim for economic modeling. Key technical factors including injection compositions well configurations reservoir heterogeneity and formation damage (issues not addressed in previous studies) were analyzed for their impact on hydrogen yield and profitability. The results indicate that CO2-enriched injection strategies enhance hydrogen production but are economically constrained by the high costs of CO2 procurement and recycling. In contrast air injection although less efficient in hydrogen yield provides a more cost-effective alternative. Despite the technological promise of hydrogen oil revenue remains the dominant economic driver with hydrogen co-production facing significant economic challenges unless supported by policy incentives or advancements in gas lifting separation and storage technologies. This study highlights the economic trade-offs and strategic considerations crucial for integrating hydrogen production into conventional petroleum extraction offering valuable insights for optimizing hydrogen co-production in the context of a sustainable energy transition. Additionally while the present work focuses on oil reservoirs future research should extend the approach to natural gas and gas condensate reservoirs which may offer more favorable conditions for hydrogen generation.

India’s energy sector is undergoing a major transformation as the nation targets energy independence by 2047 and net-zero emissions by 2070. With a high dependency on energy imports a strategic shift toward renewable energy and decarbonisation is crucial. Hydrogen has emerged as a promising solution to address energy storage and sustainability challenges prompting emerging countries to develop strong hydrogen infrastructures. This paper examines various methods involved in the hydrogen value chain from production to utilisation from the perspective of transitioning economies. By identifying key parameters and existing gaps this paper aims to support policymakers and stakeholders in designing effective strategies to accelerate the development of a sustainable and secure hydrogen economy. India currently relies on carbon-intensive hydrogen from fossil fuels. Green hydrogen faces high costs and infrastructure gaps. Despite storage and safety concerns hydrogen shows strong potential for clean energy and industry transformation.

Hydrogen is increasingly recognized as a clean energy alternative offering effective storage solutions for widespread adoption. Advancements in storage electrolysis and fuel cell technologies position hydrogen as a pathway toward cleaner more efficient and resilient energy solutions across various sectors. However challenges like infrastructure development cost-effectiveness and system integration must be addressed. This review comprehensively examines above-ground hydrogen storage technologies and their applications. It highlights the importance of established hydrogen fuel cell infrastructure particularly in gaseous and LH2 systems. The review favors material-based storage for medium- and long-term needs addressing challenges like adverse thermodynamics and kinetics for metal hydrides. It explores hydrogen storage applications in mobile and stationary sectors including fuel-cell electric vehicles aviation maritime power generation systems off-grid stations power backups and combined renewable energy systems. The paper underscores hydrogen’s potential to revolutionize stationary applications and co-generation systems highlighting its significant role in future energy landscapes.

The escalating global demand for electricity coupled with environmental concerns and economic considerations has driven the exploration of alternative energy sources creating competition for land with other sectors. A comprehensive analysis of a 10 MW floating photovoltaic (FPV) system deployed across different Köppen climate zones along with techno-economic analysis involves evaluating technical efficiency and economic viability. Technical parameters are assessed using PVsyst simulation and HOMER Pro. While economic analysis considers return on investment net present value internal rate of return and payback period. Results indicate that temperate and dry zones exhibit significant electricity generation potential from an FPV. The study outlines the payback period with the lowest being 5.7 years emphasizing the system’s environmental benefits by reducing water loss in the form of evaporation. The system is further integrated with hydrogen generation while estimating the number of cars that can be refueled at each location with the highest amount of hydrogen production being 292817 kg/year refueling more than 100 cars per day. This leads to an LCOH of GBP 2.84/kg for 20 years. Additionally the comparison across different Koppen climate zones suggests that even with the high soiling losses dry climate has substantial potential; producing up to 18829587 kWh/year of electricity and 292817 kg/year of hydrogen. However factors such as high inflation can reduce the return on investment to as low as 13.8%. The integration of FPV with hydropower plants is suggested for enhanced power generation reaffirming its potential to contribute to a sustainable energy future while addressing the UN’s SDG7 SDG9 SDG13 and SDG15.

This paper provides authors’ perspective on the current advances and challenges in utilising polymers and composites in hydrogen economy. It has originated from ‘Polymers and Composites for Hydrogen Economy’ symposium organised in March 2025 at the University of Warwick. This paper presents views from the event and thus provides a perspective from academia and industry on the ongoing advances and challenges for those materials in hydrogen applications.

Presently there is no single clear route for the near-term production of the huge volumes of CO2-free hydrogen necessary for the global transition to any type of hydrogen economy. All conventional routes to produce hydrogen from hydrocarbon fossil fuels (notably natural gas) involve the production—and hence the emission—of CO2 most notably in the steam methane reforming (SMR) process. Our recent studies have highlighted another route; namely the critical role played by the microwave-initiated catalytic pyrolysis decomposition or deconstruction of fossil hydrocarbon fuels to produce hydrogen with low to near-zero CO2 emissions together with high-value solid nanoscale carbonaceous materials. These innovations have been applied firstly to wax then methane crude oil diesel then biomass and most recently Saudi Arabian light crude oil as well as plastics waste. Microwave catalysis has therefore now emerged as a highly effective route for the rapid and effective production of hydrogen and high-value carbon nanomaterials co-products in many cases accompanied by low to near-zero CO2 emissions. Underpinning all of these advances has been the important concept from solid state physics of the so-called Size-Induced-Metal-Insulator Transition (SIMIT) in mesoscale or mesoscopic particles of catalysts. The mesoscale refers to a range of physical scale in-between the micro- and the macro-scale of matter (Huang W Li J and Edwards PP 2018 Mesoscience: exploring the common principle at mesoscale Natl. Sci. Rev. 5 321-326 (doi:10.1093/nsr/nwx083)). We highlight here that the actual physical size of the mesoscopic catalyst particles located close to the SIMIT is the primary cause of their enhanced microwave absorption and rapid heating of particles to initiate the catalytic—and highly selective—breaking of carbon–hydrogen bonds in fossil hydrocarbons and plastics to produce clean hydrogen and nanoscale carbonaceous materials. Importantly also since the surrounding ‘bath’ of hydrocarbons is cooler than the microwave-heated catalytic particles themselves the produced neutral hydrogen molecule can quickly diffuse from the active sites. This important feature of microwave heating thereby minimizes undesirable side reactions a common feature of conventional thermal heating in heterogeneous catalysis. The low to near-zero CO2 production of hydrogen via microwave-initiated decomposition or cracking of abundant hydrocarbon fossil fuels may be an interim viable alternative to the conventional widely-used SMR that a highly efficient process but unfortunately associated with the emission of vast quantities of CO2. Microwave-initiated catalytic decomposition also opens up the intriguing possibility of using distributed methane in the current natural gas structure to produce hydrogen and high-value solid carbon at either central or distributed sites. That approach will lessen many of the safety and environmental concerns associated with transporting hydrogen using the existing natural gas infrastructure. When completely optimized microwave-initiated catalytic decomposition of methane (and indeed all hydrocarbon sources) will produce no aerial carbon (CO2) and only solid carbon as a co-product. Furthermore reaction conditions can surely be optimized to target the production of high-quality synthetic graphite as the major carbon-product; that material of considerable importance as the anode material for lithium-ion batteries. Even without aiming for such products derived from the solid carbon co-product it is of course far easier to capture solid carbon rather than capturing gaseous CO2 at either the central or distributed sites. Through microwave-initiated catalytic pyrolysis this decarbonization of fossil fuels can now become the potent source of sustainable hydrogen and high-value carbon nanomaterials.

Smart energy systems can be used to generate additional financial value by providing flexibility to the electricity network. It is fundamental to the effective economic implementation of these systems that an assessment can be made in advance to determine available value in comparison with any additional costs. The basic premise is that there is a distinct advantage in using similar algorithms to an actual smart energy system implementation for value assessment and that this is practical in this context which is confirmed in comparison with simpler modelling methods. Analysis has been undertaken using a ‘green’ hydrogen system case study of the impact of various simplifications to the value assessment algorithms used to speed computation time without sacrificing the decisionmaking potential of the output. The results indicate that for localised energy systems with a small number of controllable assets an rolling horizon optimisation model with a significant degree of temporal and component complexity is viable for planning phase value assessment requirements and would be a similar level of complexity to a computationally suitable implementation algorithm for actual asset control decision making.

Since the early days of space exploration the efficient production of oxygen and hydrogen via water electrolysis has been a central task for regenerative life-support systems. Water electrolysers are however challenged by the near-absence of buoyancy in microgravity resulting in hindered gas bubble detachment from electrodes and diminished electrolysis efficiencies. Here we show that a commercial neodymium magnet enhances water electrolysis with current density improvements of up to 240% in microgravity by exploiting the magnetic polarization of the electrolyte and the magnetohydrodynamic force. We demonstrate that these interactions enhance gas bubble detachment and displacement through magnetic convection and achieve passive gas–liquid phase separation. Two model magnetoelectrolytic cells a proton-exchange membrane electrolyser and a magnetohydrodynamic drive were designed to leverage these forces and produce oxygen and hydrogen at near-terrestrial efficiencies in microgravity. Overall this work highlights achievable lightweight low-maintenance and energy-efficient phase separation and electrolyser technologies to support future human spaceflight architectures.