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Techno-economic Assessment of Blue and Green Ammonia as Energy Carriers in a Low-carbon Future
Feb 2022
Publication
Ammonia is an industrial chemical and the basic building block for the fertilizer industry. Lately attention has shifted towards using ammonia as a carbon-free energy vector due to the ease of transportation and storage in liquid state at − 33 ◦C and atmospheric pressure. This study evaluates the prospects of blue and green ammonia as future energy carriers; specifically the gas switching reforming (GSR) concept for H2 and N2 co-production from natural gas with inherent CO2 capture (blue) and H2 generation through an optimized value chain of wind and solar power electrolysers cryogenic N2 supply and various options for energy storage (green). These longer term concepts are benchmarked against conventional technologies integrating CO2 capture: the Kellogg Braun & Root (KBR) Purifier process and the Linde Ammonia Concept (LAC). All modelled plants utilize the same ammonia synthesis loop for a consistent comparison. A cash flow analysis showed that the GSR concept achieved an attractive levelized cost of ammonia (LCOA) of 332.1 €/ton relative to 385.1–385.9 €/ton for the conventional plants at European energy prices (6.5 €/GJ natural gas and 60 €/MWh electricity). Optimal technology integration for green ammonia using technology costs representative of 2050 was considerably more expensive: 484.7–772.1 €/ton when varying the location from Saudi Arabia to Germany. Furthermore the LCOA of the GSR technology drops to 192.7 €/ton when benefitting from low Saudi Arabian energy costs (2 €/GJ natural gas and 40 €/MWh electricity). This cost difference between green and blue ammonia remained robust in sensitivity analyses where input energy cost (natural gas or wind/solar power) was the most influential parameter. Given its low production costs and the techno-economic feasibility of international ammonia trade advanced blue ammonia production from GSR offers an attractive pathway for natural gas exporting regions to contribute to global decarbonization.
Economic Evaluation of Renewable Hydrogen Integration into Steelworks for the Production of Methanol and Methane
Jun 2022
Publication
This work investigates the cost-efficient integration of renewable hydrogen into steelworks for the production of methane and methanol as an efficient way to decarbonize the steel industry. Three case studies that utilize a mixture of steelworks off-gases (blast furnace gas coke oven gas and basic oxygen furnace gas) which differ on the amount of used off-gases as well as on the end product (methane and/or methanol) are analyzed and evaluated in terms of their economic performance. The most influential cost factors are identified and sensitivity analyses are conducted for different operating and economic parameters. Renewable hydrogen produced by PEM electrolysis is the most expensive component in this scheme and responsible for over 80% of the total costs. Progress in the hydrogen economy (lower electrolyzer capital costs improved electrolyzer efficiency and lower electricity prices) is necessary to establish this technology in the future.
A Review of the Status of Fossil and Renewable Energies in Southeast Asia and Its Implications on the Decarbonization of ASEAN
Mar 2022
Publication
The ten nations of Southeast Asia collectively known as ASEAN emitted 1.65 Gtpa CO2 in 2020 and are among the most vulnerable nations to climate change which is partially caused by anthropogenic CO2 emission. This paper analyzes the history of ASEAN energy consumption and CO2 emission from both fossil and renewable energies in the last two decades. The results show that ASEAN’s renewable energies resources range from low to moderate are unevenly distributed geographically and contributed to only 20% of total primary energy consumption (TPEC) in 2015. The dominant forms of renewable energies are hydropower solar photovoltaic and bioenergy. However both hydropower and bioenergy have substantial sustainability issues. Fossil energies depend heavily on coal and oil and contribute to 80% of TPEC. More importantly renewable energies’ contribution to TPEC has been decreasing in the last two decades despite the increasing installation capacity. This suggests that the current rate of the addition of renewable energy capacity is inadequate to allow ASEAN to reach net-zero by 2050. Therefore fossil energies will continue to be an important part of ASEAN’s energy mix. More tools such as carbon capture and storage (CCS) and hydrogen will be needed for decarbonization. CCS will be needed to decarbonize ASEAN’s fossil power and industrial plants while blue hydrogen will be needed to decarbonize hard-to-decarbonize industrial plants. Based on recent research into regional CO2 source-sink mapping this paper proposes six large-scale CCS projects in four countries which can mitigate up to 300 Mtpa CO2 . Furthermore this paper identifies common pathways for ASEAN decarbonization and their policy implications.
Optimal Design of Photovoltaic, Biomass, Fuel Cell, Hydrogen Tank Units and Electrolyzer Hybrid System for a Remote Area in Egypt
Jul 2022
Publication
In this paper a new isolated hybrid system is simulated and analyzed to obtain the optimal sizing and meet the electricity demand with cost improvement for servicing a small remote area with a peak load of 420 kW. The major configuration of this hybrid system is Photovoltaic (PV) modules Biomass gasifier (BG) Electrolyzer units Hydrogen Tank units (HT) and Fuel Cell (FC) system. A recent optimization algorithm namely Mayfly Optimization Algorithm (MOA) is utilized to ensure that all load demand is met at the lowest energy cost (EC) and minimize the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the proposed system. The MOA is selected as it collects the main merits of swarm intelligence and evolutionary algorithms; hence it has good convergence characteristics. To ensure the superiority of the selected MOA the obtained results are compared with other well-known optimization algorithms namely Sooty Tern Optimization Algorithm (STOA) Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA) and Sine Cosine Algorithm (SCA). The results reveal that the suggested MOA achieves the best system design achieving a stable convergence characteristic after 44 iterations. MOA yielded the best EC with 0.2106533 $/kWh the net present cost (NPC) with 6170134 $ the loss of power supply probability (LPSP) with 0.05993% and GHG with 792.534 t/y.
Refueling of LH2 Aircraft—Assessment of Turnaround Procedures and Aircraft Design Implication
Mar 2022
Publication
Green liquid hydrogen (LH2) could play an essential role as a zero-carbon aircraft fuel to reach long-term sustainable aviation. Excluding challenges such as electrolysis transportation and use of renewable energy in setting up hydrogen (H2) fuel infrastructure this paper investigates the interface between refueling systems and aircraft and the impacts on fuel distribution at the airport. Furthermore it provides an overview of key technology design decisions for LH2 refueling procedures and their effects on the turnaround times as well as on aircraft design. Based on a comparison to Jet A-1 refueling new LH2 refueling procedures are described and evaluated. Process steps under consideration are connecting/disconnecting purging chill-down and refueling. The actual refueling flow of LH2 is limited to a simplified Reynolds term of v · d = 2.35 m2/s. A mass flow rate of 20 kg/s is reached with an inner hose diameter of 152.4 mm. The previous and subsequent processes (without refueling) require 9 min with purging and 6 min without purging. For the assessment of impacts on LH2 aircraft operation process changes on the level of ground support equipment are compared to current procedures with Jet A-1. The technical challenges at the airport for refueling trucks as well as pipeline systems and dispensers are presented. In addition to the technological solutions explosion protection as applicable safety regulations are analyzed and the overall refueling process is validated. The thermodynamic properties of LH2 as a real compressible fluid are considered to derive implications for airport-side infrastructure. The advantages and disadvantages of a subcooled liquid are evaluated and cost impacts are elaborated. Behind the airport storage tank LH2 must be cooled to at least 19 K to prevent two-phase phenomena and a mass flow reduction during distribution. Implications on LH2 aircraft design are investigated by understanding the thermodynamic properties including calculation methods for the aircraft tank volume and problems such as cavitation and two-phase flows. In conclusion the work presented shows that LH2 refueling procedure is feasible compliant with the applicable explosion protection standards and hence does not impact the turnaround procedure. A turnaround time comparison shows that refueling with LH2 in most cases takes less time than with Jet A-1. The turnaround at the airport can be performed by a fuel truck or a pipeline dispenser system without generating direct losses i.e. venting to the atmosphere.
Milford Haven: Energy Kingdom - System Architecture Report: A Prospering from the Energy Revolution Project
Nov 2021
Publication
Milford Haven: Energy Kingdom is a two-year project exploring what a decarbonised smart local energy system could look like for Milford Haven Pembroke and Pembroke Dock.
The project explores the potential of hydrogen as part of a multi-vector approach to decarbonisation. Central to the project and to achieving Net Zero is a commitment to engage with the community and local industry providing insight and opportunities for growth.
The ambition is to gather detailed insight into the whole energy system around Milford Haven to identify and design a future smart local energy system based on a truly multi-vector approach and comprehensive energy systems architecture.
The transition to Net Zero requires action across the economy. As the UK’s largest energy port Milford Haven is an industrial cluster that can handle 30% of total UK gas demand is home to Europe’s largest gas power station powering 3.5 million homes and businesses has ambitions to build 90MW of floating offshore wind supports 5000 jobs and injects £324m to the Pembrokeshire economy.
This work describes the outcomes of the effort to define designs of future energy system architectures combining; technology the interconnectivity between them and data; with markets trading platforms and policies; with business models and defined organisational governance. The aim of these designs is to provide:
The project explores the potential of hydrogen as part of a multi-vector approach to decarbonisation. Central to the project and to achieving Net Zero is a commitment to engage with the community and local industry providing insight and opportunities for growth.
The ambition is to gather detailed insight into the whole energy system around Milford Haven to identify and design a future smart local energy system based on a truly multi-vector approach and comprehensive energy systems architecture.
The transition to Net Zero requires action across the economy. As the UK’s largest energy port Milford Haven is an industrial cluster that can handle 30% of total UK gas demand is home to Europe’s largest gas power station powering 3.5 million homes and businesses has ambitions to build 90MW of floating offshore wind supports 5000 jobs and injects £324m to the Pembrokeshire economy.
This work describes the outcomes of the effort to define designs of future energy system architectures combining; technology the interconnectivity between them and data; with markets trading platforms and policies; with business models and defined organisational governance. The aim of these designs is to provide:
- The basis for a roadmap for the next phases of development and implementation
- Confidence to innovators and investors in the future longevity of investments in hydrogen and
- A common basis of understanding for all stakeholders wishing to contribute to the Milford Haven: Energy Kingdom.
PEMFC Poly-Generation Systems: Developments, Merits, and Challenges
Oct 2021
Publication
Significant research efforts are directed towards finding new ways to reduce the cost increase efficiency and decrease the environmental impact of power-generation systems. The poly-generation concept is a promising strategy that enables the development of a sustainable power system. Over the past few years the Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell-based Poly-Generation Systems (PEMFC-PGSs) have received accelerated developments due to the low-temperature operation high efficiency and low environmental impact. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the main PEMFC-PGSs including Combined Heat and Power (CHP) co-generation systems Combined Cooling and Power (CCP) co-generation systems Combined Cooling Heat and Power (CCHP) tri-generation systems and Combined Water and Power (CWP) co-generation systems. First the main technologies used in PEMFC-PGSs such as those related to hydrogen production energy storage and Waste Heat Recovery (WHR) etc. are detailed. Then the research progresses on the economic energy and environmental performance of the different PEMFC-PGSs are presented. Also the recent commercialization activities on these systems are highlighted focusing on the leading countries in this field. Furthermore the remaining economic and technical obstacles of these systems along with the future research directions to mitigate them are discussed. The review reveals the potential of the PEMFC-PGS in securing a sustainable future of the power systems. However many economic and technical issues particularly those related to high cost and degradation rate still need to be addressed before unlocking the full benefits of such systems.
Trends in the Global Steel Industry: Evolutionary Projections and Defossilisation Pathways through Power-to-steel
Sep 2022
Publication
Steel production is a carbon and energy intensive activity releasing 1.9 tons of CO2 and requiring 5.17 MWh of primary energy per ton produced on average globally resulting in 9% of all anthropogenic CO2 emissions. To achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement of limiting global temperature increase to below 1.5 °C compared to pre-industrial levels the structure of the global steel production must change fundamentally. There are several technological paths towards a lower carbon intensity for steelmaking which bring with them a paradigm shift decoupling CO2 emissions from crude steel production by transitioning from traditional methods of steel production using fossil coal and fossil methane to those based on low-cost renewable electricity and green hydrogen. However the energy system consequences of fully defossilised steelmaking has not yet been examined in detail. This research examines the energy system requirements a global defossilised power-to-steel industry using a GDP-based demand model for global steel demands which projects a growth in steel demand from 1.6 Gt in 2020 to 2.4 Gt in 2100. Three scenarios are developed to investigate the emissions trajectory energy demands and economics of a high penetration of direct hydrogen reduction and electrowinning in global steel production. Results indicate that the global steel industry will see green hydrogen demands grow significantly ranging from 2809 to 4371 TWhH2 by 2050. Under the studied conditions global steel production is projected to see reductions in final thermal energy demand of between 38.3% and 57.7% and increases in total electricity demand by factors between 15.1 and 13.3 by 2050 depending on the scenario. Furthermore CO2 emissions from steelmaking can be reduced to zero.
Optimal Battery and Hydrogen Fuel Cell Sizing in Heavy-haul Locomotives
Jul 2023
Publication
Global supply chains must be decarbonised as part of meeting climate targets set by the United Nations and world leaders. Rail networks are vital infrastructure in passenger and freight transport however have not received the same push for decarbonisation as road transport. In this investigation we used real world data from locomotives operating on seven rail corridors to identify optimal battery capacity and hydrogen fuel cell (HFC) power in hybrid systems. We found that the required battery capacity is dependent on both the available regenerative braking energy and on the capacity required to buffer surpluses and deficits from the HFC. The optimal system for each corridor was identified however it was found that one 3.6 MWh battery and 860 kW HFC system could service six of the seven corridors. The optimal systems presented in this work suggest an average of around 5 h of battery storage for the HFC power which is larger than the 2 h previously reported in literature. This may indicate a gap between purely theoretical works that use only route topography and speed and those that employ real world locomotive data.
A Zero CO2 Emissions Large Ship Fuelled by an Ammonia-hydrogen Blend: Reaching the Decarbonisation Goals
Aug 2023
Publication
To reach the decarbonisation goals a zero CO2 emissions large ship propulsion system is proposed in this work. The ship selected is a large ferry propelled by an internal combustion engine fuelled by an ammonia-hydrogen blend. The only fuel loaded in the vessel will be ammonia. The hydrogen required for the combustion in the engine will be produced onboard employing ammonia decomposition. The heat required for this decomposition section will be supplied by using the hot flue gases of the combustion engine. To address the issues regarding NOx emissions a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) reactor was designed. The main operating variables for all the equipment were computed for engine load values of 25% 50% 75% and 100%. Considering the lowest SCR removal rate (91% at an engine load of 100%) the NOx emissions of the vessel were less than 0.5 g/kWh lower than the IMO requirements. An energy analysis of the system proposed to transform ammonia into energy for shipping was conducted. The global energy and exergy efficiencies were 42.4% and 48.1%. In addition an economic analysis of the system was performed. The total capital cost (CAPEX) for the system can be estimated at 8.66 M€ (784 €/kW) while the operating cost (OPEX) ranges between 210 €/MWh (engine load 100%) and 243 €/MWh (engine load of 25%). Finally a sensitivity analysis for the price of ammonia was performed resulting in the feasibility of reducing the operating cost to below 150 €/MWh in the near horizon.
Effective Thermal Conductivity of Insulation Materials for Cryogenic LH2 Storage Tanks: A Review
Nov 2022
Publication
An accurate estimation of the effective thermal conductivity of various insulation materials is essential in the evaluation of heat leak and boil-off rate from liquid hydrogen storage tanks. In this work we review the existing experimental data and various proposed correlations for predicting the effective conductivity of insulation systems consisting of powders foams fibrous materials and multilayer systems. We also propose a first principles-based correlation that may be used to estimate the dependence of the effective conductivity as a function of temperature interstitial gas composition pressure and structural properties of the material. We validate the proposed correlation using available experimental data for some common insulation materials. Further improvements and testing of the proposed correlation using laboratory scale data obtained using potential LH2 tank insulation materials are also discussed.
Green-hydrogen Research: What Have We Achieved, and Where Are We Going? Bibliometrics Analysis
Jul 2022
Publication
In response to the global challenge of climate change 136 countries accounting for 90% of global GDP and 85% of the population have now set net-zero targets. A transition to net-zero will require the decarbonization of all sectors of the economy. Green-hydrogen produced from renewable energy sources poses little to no threat to the environment and increasing its production will support net-zero targets Our study examined the evolution of green-hydrogen research themes since the UN Sustainable Development Goals were adopted in 2015 by utilizing bibliographic couplings keyword co-occurrence and keyphrase analysis of 642 articles from 2016 to 2021 in the Scopus database. We studied bibliometrics indicators and temporal evolution of publications and citations patterns of open access the effect of author collaboration influential publications and top contributing countries. We also consider new indicators like publication views keyphrases topics with prominence and field weighted citation impact and Altmetrics to understand the research direction further. We find four major thematic distributions of green-hydrogen research based on keyword co-occurrence networks: hydrogen storage hydrogen production electrolysis and the hydrogen economy. We also find networks of four research clusters that provide new information on the journal’s contributions to green-hydrogen research. These are materials chemistry hydrogen energy and cleaner production applied energy and fuel cells. Most green-hydrogen research aligns with Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7) and Climate Action (SDG 13). The outcomes of policy decisions in the United States Europe India and China will profoundly impact green-hydrogen production and storage over the next five years. If these policies are implemented these countries will account for two-thirds of this growth. Asia will account for the most significant part and become the second-largest producer globally.
Hydrogen, the First Element Podcast - Episode 4: Reskill to Repower - Preparing the Hydrogen Workforce
Dec 2022
Publication
During her State of the Union Address the President of the European Commission Ursula Von der Leyen defined 2023 as the "European Year of Skills" highlighting the urgency to overcome the shortage of skilled workforce in Europe a challenge that affects the hydrogen sector as well. The rapid development of the European Hydrogen Value Chain over the coming years is expected to generate approximately 1 million highly skilled jobs by 2030 and up to 5.4 million by 2050. In the fourth episode titled "Reskill to Repower: Preparing the Hydrogen workforce" our Chief Technology & Market Officer Stephen Jackson discusses with Massimo Valsania VP of Engineering at EthosEnergy and Co-chair of Hydrogen Europe Skills Working Group. Starting off with Massimo's professional background and his current role in our association the two speakers discussed the skills needed in the hydrogen economy and the policies that should be put in place to attract new generations.
Bioinspired Hybrid Model to Predict the Hydrogen Inlet Fuel Cell Flow Change of an Energy Storage System
Nov 2019
Publication
The present research work deals with prediction of hydrogen consumption of a fuel cell in an energy storage system. Due to the fact that these kind of systems have a very nonlinear behaviour the use of traditional techniques based on parametric models and other more sophisticated techniques such as soft computing methods seems not to be accurate enough to generate good models of the system under study. Due to that a hybrid intelligent system based on clustering and regression techniques has been developed and implemented to predict the necessary variation of the hydrogen flow consumption to satisfy the variation of demanded power to the fuel cell. In this research a hybrid intelligent model was created and validated over a dataset from a fuel cell energy storage system. Obtained results validate the proposal achieving better performance than other well-known classical regression methods allowing us to predict the hydrogen consumption with a Mean Absolute Error (MAE) of 3.73 with the validation dataset.
The Influence of Grain Boundary and Hydrogen on the Indetation of Bi-crystal Nickel
Sep 2021
Publication
Three different types of symmetrical tilt grain boundaries Ȉ3 Ȉ11 and Ȉ27 were constructed to study the dislocation behavior under the indentation on bi-crystal nickel. After hydrogen charging the number of hydrogen atoms in the Ȉ3 sample is the smallest and gradually increases in Ȉ11 and Ȉ27 samples. The force-displacement curve of indentation shows that the deformation resistance of the Ȉ3 sample is significantly higher than that of Ȉ11 and Ȉ27 samples. With the presence of grain boundaries the deformation resistance of Ȉ11 and Ȉ27 samples is significantly improved while the deformation resistance of the Ȉ3 VDPSOH is weakened. The indentation depth during the formation of dislocations in single crystals is significantly greater than that of bi-crystals. Grain boundaries slow down the dislocation propagation speed. Compared with the bi-crystals without hydrogen the presence of hydrogen reduces the deformation resistance and accelerates the dislocation propagation.
Fuelling the Transition Podcast: The Future of Electrolysers and Hydrogen in the UK
Nov 2021
Publication
ITM Power is a leading electrolyser manufacturer and is a globally recognised expert in hydrogen technologies. In this episode Graham Cooley Chief Executive Officer at ITM Power and John Williams Head of Hydrogen Expertise Cluster at AFRY Management Consulting join us to discuss ITM’s recent announcements. This includes raising £250 million to scale up its electrolyser manufacturing capacity to 5GW per annum by 2024 and forming a partnership with Linde to halve electrolyser manufacturing costs within five years. The episode also explores the UK hydrogen strategy how blue hydrogen compares with green hydrogen the role of electrolysers in hydrogen production and providing flexibility to power grids.
The podcast can be found on their website.
The podcast can be found on their website.
What Is the Policy Effect of Coupling the Green Hydrogen Market, National Carbon Trading Market and Electricity Market?
Oct 2022
Publication
Green hydrogen has become the key to social low-carbon transformation and is fully linked to zero carbon emissions. The carbon emissions trading market is a policy tool used to control carbon emissions using a market-oriented mechanism. Building a modular carbon trading center for the hydrogen energy industry would greatly promote the meeting of climate targets. Based on this a “green hydrogen market—national carbon trading market–electricity market” coupling mechanism is designed. Then the “green hydrogen market—national carbon trading market–electricity market” mechanism is modeled and simulated using system dynamics. The results are as follows: First coupling between the green hydrogen market carbon trading market and electricity market can be realized through green hydrogen certification and carbon quota trading. It is found that the coupling model is feasible through simulation. Second simulation of the basic scenario finds that multiple-market coupling can stimulate an increase in carbon price the control of thermal power generation and an increase in green hydrogen production. Finally the proportion of the green hydrogen certification the elimination mechanism of outdated units and the quota auction mechanism will help to form a carbon pricing mechanism. This study enriches the green hydrogen trading model and establishes a multiple-market linkage mechanism.
Production of Ultra-dense Hydrogen H(0): A Novel Nuclear Fuel
Mar 2021
Publication
Condensation of hydrogen Rydberg atoms (highly electronically excited) into the lowest energy state of condensed hydrogen i.e. the ultra-dense hydrogen phase H(0) has gained increased attention not only from the fundamental aspects but also from the applied point of view. The physical properties of ultra-dense hydrogen H(0) were recently reviewed summarizing the results reported in 50 publications during the last ten years. The main application of H(0) so far is as the fuel and working medium in nuclear particle generators and nuclear fusion reactors which are under commercial development. The first fusion process showing sustained operation above break-even was published in 2015 (AIP Advances) and used ultra-dense deuterium D(0) as fuel. The first generator giving a high-intensity muon flux intended for muon-catalyzed fusion reactors was patented in 2017 using H(0) as the working medium. Here we first focus on the different nuclear processes using hydrogen isotopes for energy generation and then on the detailed processes of formation of H(0). The production of H(0) employs heterogeneous catalysts which are active in hydrogen transfer reactions. Iron oxide-based alkali promoted catalysts function well but also platinum group metals and carbon surfaces are active in this process. The clusters of highly excited Rydberg hydrogen atoms H(l) are formed upon interaction with alkali Rydberg matter. The final conversion step from ordinary hydrogen Rydberg matter H(l) to H(0) is spontaneous and does not require a solid surface. It is concluded that the exact choice of catalyst is not very important. It is also concluded that the crucial feature of the catalyst is to provide excited alkali atoms at a sufficiently high surface density and in this way enabling formation and desorption of H(0) clusters. Finally the relation to industrial catalytic processes which use H(0) formation catalysts is described and some important consequences like the muon and neutron radiation from H(0) are discussed.
Everything About Hydrogen Podcast: Moving at the Speed of Hydrogen
Nov 2020
Publication
We spend a lot of time on the show talking about the interesting use cases and potential applications of hydrogen technologies as a means to decarbonize high-emissions sectors and that is the point! However moving hydrogen around the world (e.g. to remote areas without the capacity to produce it locally) presents a number of complexities and challenges that are unique to hydrogen itself or for which there are no traditionally established technologies to do so. On this episode the EAH team has a fascinating chat with Dr. Daniel Teichmann CEO and founder of Hydrogenious to learn more about liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs) and how they can help companies overcome some of the major hurdles that moving hydrogen around the globe presents.
The podcast can be found on their website
The podcast can be found on their website
Techno-Economic Analysis of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell-Gas Turbine Hybrid Systems for Stationary Power Applications Using Renewable Hydrogen
Jun 2023
Publication
Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC)–gas turbine (GT) hybrid systems can produce power at high electrical efficiencies while emitting virtually zero criteria pollutants (e.g. ozone carbon monoxide oxides of nitrogen and sulfur and particulate matters). This study presents new insights into renewable hydrogen (RH2 )-powered SOFC–GT hybrid systems with respect to their system configuration and techno-economic analysis motivated by the need for clean on-demand power. First three system configurations are thermodynamically assessed: (I) a reference case with no SOFC off-gas recirculation (II) a case with cathode off-gas recirculation and (III) a case with anode off-gas recirculation. While these configurations have been studied in isolation here we provide a detailed performance comparison. Moreover a techno-economic analysis is conducted to study the economic competitiveness of RH2 -fueled hybrid systems and the economies of scale by offering a comparison to natural gas (NG)-fueled systems. Results show that the case with anode off-gas recirculation with 68.50%-lower heating value (LHV) at a 10 MW scale has the highest efficiency among the studied scenarios. When moving from 10 MW to 50 MW the efficiency increases to 70.22%-LHV. These high efficiency values make SOFC–GT hybrid systems highly attractive in the context of a circular economy as they outcompete most other power generation technologies. The cost-of-electricity (COE) is reduced by about 10% when moving from 10 MW to 50 MW from USD 1976/kW to USD 1668/kW respectively. Renewable H2 is expected to be economically competitive with NG by 2030 when the U.S. Department of Energy’s target of USD 1/kg RH2 is reached.
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