Hydrogen Cost and Carbon Analysis in Hollow Glass Manufacturing

The European Union promotes decarbonization in energy-intensive industries like glass manufacturing. Collaboration between industry and researchers focuses on reducing CO2 emissions through hydrogen (H2) integration as a natural gas substitute. However, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no updated real-world case studies are available in the literature that consider the on-site implementation of an electrolyzer for autonomous hydrogen production capable of meeting the needs of a glass manufacturing plant within current technological constraints. This study examines a representative hollow glass plant and develops various decarbonization scenarios through detailed process simulations in Aspen Plus. The models provide consistent mass and energy balances, enabling the quantification of energy demand and key cost drivers associated with H2 integration. These results form the basis for a scenario-specific techno-economic assessment, including both on-grid and off-grid configurations. Subsequently, the analysis estimates the levelized costs of hydrogen (LCOH) for each scenario and compares them to current and projected benchmarks. The study also highlights ongoing research projects and technological advancements in the transition from natural gas to H2 in the glass sector. Finally, potential barriers to large-scale implementation are discussed, along with policy and infrastructure recommendations to foster industrial adoption. These findings suggest that hybrid configurations represent the most promising path toward industrial H2 adoption in glass manufacturing.