Publications

Hydrogen offers an effective pathway for the large‑scale storage of renewable energy. For a tourist city located in a plateau region rich in renewable energy hydrogen shows great potential for reducing carbon emissions and utilizing uncertain renewable energy. Herein the wind–solar–hydrogen stand‑alone and grid‑connected systems in the plateau tourist city of Lijiang City in Yunnan Province are modeled and techno‑economically evaluated by using the HOMER Pro software (version 3.14.2) with the multi‑criteria decision anal‑ ysis models. The system is composed of 5588 kW solar photovoltaic panels an 800 kW wind turbine a 1600 kW electrolyzer a 421 kWh battery and a 50 kW fuel cell. In addi‑ tion to meeting the power requirements for system operation the system has the capacity to provide daily electricity for 200 households in a neighborhood and supply 240 kg of hydrogen per day to local hydrogen‑fueled buses. The stand‑alone system can produce 10.15 × 106 kWh of electricity and 93.44 t of hydrogen per year with an NPC of USD 8.15 million an LCOE of USD 0.43/kWh and an LCOH of USD 5.26/kg. The grid‑connected system can generate 10.10 × 106 kWh of electricity and 103.01 ton of hydrogen annually. Its NPC is USD 7.34 million its LCOE is USD 0.11/kWh and its LCOH is USD 3.42/kg. This study provides a new solution for optimizing the configuration of hybrid renewable en‑ ergy systems which will develop the hydrogen economy and create low‑carbon‑emission energy systems.

Population growth and economic development have significantly increased global energy demand. Hence it has raised concerns about the increase in the consumption of fossil fuels and climate change. The present work introduced a new approach to using carbon-free energy sources such as nuclear and renewable to meet energy demand. The idea of using the Nuclear-Renewable Hybrid Energy System (N-R HES) is suggested as a leading solution that couples a nuclear power plant with renewable energy and hydrogen-based storage systems. For this purpose using a meta-heuristic method based on Newton’s laws the configuration of the N-R HES is optimized from an economic and reliability point of view. The optimal system is selected from among six cases with different subsystems such as wind turbine photovoltaic panel nuclear reactor electrolysis fuel cell and hydrogen storage tank. Furthermore the performance of hydrogen-based energy storage systems such as hightemperature electrolysis (HTE) and low-temperature electrolysis (LTE) is evaluated from technical and economic aspects. The results of this work showed that using nuclear energy to supply the base load increases the reliability of the system and reduces the loss of power supply probability to zero. More than 70 % of the power is produced by nuclear reactors which includes more than 80 % of the system costs. The key findings showed that despite HTE’s higher efficiency using LTE as a storage system in N-R HES is more cost-effective. Finally due to recent developments and the safer design of nuclear reactors they can play an important role in combination with renewable energies to support carbon-free energy sectors especially in remote areas for decades to come.

Methanol reforming is considered to be one of the most promising hydrogen production technologies for hydrogen fuel cells. It is expected to solve the problem of hydrogen storage and transportation because of its high hydrogen production rate low cost and good safety. However the strong nonlinearity and slow response of the pressure and temperature subsystems pose challenges to the tracking control of the methanol reforming hydrogen production system. In this paper two internal model-based temperature and pressure controllers are proposed in which the temperature is adjusted by controlling the air flow and the pressure is adjusted by controlling the opening of the backpressure valve. Firstly a lumped parameter model of the methanol reforming hydrogen production system is constructed using MATLAB/Simulink® (produced by MathWorks in Natick Massachusetts USA). In addition the transfer function model of the system is obtained by system identification at the equilibrium point and the internal model controller is further designed. The simulation results show that the control method achieves the robustness of the system and the temperature and pressure of the reforming reactor can quickly and accurately track the target value when the load changes. Small-load step tests indicate stable tracking of the temperature and pressure for the reforming reactor without steady-state errors. Under large-temperature step signal testing the response time for the reforming temperature is about 148 s while the large-pressure step signal test shows that the response time for the reforming pressure is about 8 s. Compared to the PID controller the internal model controller exhibits faster response zero steady-state error and no overshoot. The results show that the internal model control method has strong robustness and dynamic characteristics.

Sustainability goals include the utilization of renewable energy resources to supply the energy needs in addition to wastewater treatment to satisfy the water demand. Moreover hydrogen has become a promising energy carrier and green fuel to decarbonize the industrial and transportation sectors. In this context this research investigates a wind-photovoltaic power plant to produce green hydrogen for hydrogen refueling station and to operate an electrocoagulation water treatment unit in Ostrava Czech Republic’s northeast region. The study conducts a techno-economic analysis through HOMER Pro® software for optimal sizing of the power station components and to investigate the economic indices of the plant. The power station employs photovoltaic panels and wind turbines to supply the required electricity for electrolyzers and electrocoagulation reactors. As an offgrid system lead acid batteries are utilized to store the surplus electricity. Wind speed and solar irradiation are the key role site dependent parameters that determine the cost of hydrogen electricity and wastewater treatment. The simulated model considers the capital operating and replacement costs for system components. In the proposed system 240 kg of hydrogen as well as 720 kWh electrical energy are daily required for the hydrogen refueling station and the electrocoagulation unit respectively. Accordingly the power station annually generates 6997990 kWh of electrical energy in addition to 85595 kg of green hydrogen. Based on the economic analysis the project’s NPC is determined to be €5.49 M and the levelized cost of Hydrogen (LCH) is 2.89 €/kg excluding compressor unit costs. This value proves the effectiveness of this power system which encourages the utilization of green hydrogen for fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCVs). Furthermore emerging electrocoagulation studies produce hydrogen through wastewater treatment increasing hydrogen production and lowering LCH. Therefore this study is able to provide practicable methodology support for optimal sizing of the power station components which is beneficial for industrialization and economic development as well as transition toward sustainability and autonomous energy systems.

The present work demonstrates a comparative study of hydrogen fuel cells and combustion aircraft to investigate the potential of fuel cells as a visionary propulsion system for radically more sustainable medium- to long-range commercial aircraft. The study which considered future airframe and propulsion technologies under the Se2A project was conducted to quantify potential emissions and costs associated with such aircraft and to determine the benefits and drawbacks of each energy system option for different market segments. Future technologies considered in the present work include laminar flow control active load alleviation new materials and structures ultra-high bypass ratio turbofan engines more efficient thermal management systems and superconducting electric motors. A multi-fidelity initial sizing framework with coupled constraint and mission analysis blocks was used for parametric airplane sizing and calculations of all necessary characteristics. Analyses performed for three reference aircraft of different sizes and ranges concluded that fuel-cell aircraft could have operating cost increases in the order of 30% compared to hydrogen combustion configurations and were caused by substantial weight and fuel burn increases. In-flight changes in emissions of fuel cell configurations at high altitudes were progressively reduced from medium-range to long-range segments from being similar to hydrogen combustion for medium-range to 24% for large long-range aircraft although fuel cell aircraft consume 22–30% more fuel than combustion aircraft. Results demonstrate a positive environmental impact of fuel cell propulsion for longrange applications the possibilities of being a more emission-universal solution if desired optimistic technology performance metrics are satisfied. The study also demonstrates progressively increasing technology requirements for larger aircraft making the long-range application’s feasibility more challenging. Therefore substantial development of fuel cell technologies for long-range aircraft is imperative. The article also emphasizes the importance of airframe and propulsion technologies and the necessity of green hydrogen production to achieve desired emissions.

Hydrogen is considered a promising solution for global decarbonisation as an alternative to fossil fuels. However it can interact with and brittle most metallic materials and is highly flammable. These properties call for a systematic investigation of physical and chemical hazards and for the definition of a comprehensive risk management and monitoring framework including proper maintenance planning. This study aims at establishing a hydrogen monitoring scheme and it provides a descriptive bibliometric and interpretative review of the current state-of-the-art of suitable techniques to ensure the safe handling of hydrogen systems. The descriptive analysis outlines the technologies available to supervise the hydrogen-material interactions and detect hydrogen leaks and flames. The bibliometric analysis shows quantitative data to identify the most relevant research groups. The interpretative study discusses the findings and examines the possibility of combining the identified techniques with maintenance programs to prevent catastrophic events.

Integrating coal-to-hydrogen production with Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) is essential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and facilitating a shift towards a more sustainable energy paradigm. This paper explores the diffusion of CCUS technology within the coal-to-hydrogen sector against the dynamic backdrop of the carbon trading market. An evolutionary game-theoretic approach is utilized within a smallworld network framework to analyze the spread of CCUS technology among coal-tohydrogen enterprises. The simulation reveals that current market dynamics along with technological market and policy-related uncertainties do not robustly encourage the adoption of CCUS. As the carbon trading market continues to mature carbon prices become a significant factor influencing the diffusion of CCUS technology in coal-to-hydrogen processes. Furthermore investment costs hydrogen market prices and governmental policies are identified as pivotal elements in the propagation of CCUS technology. This study contributes valuable insights into the sustainable development of the hydrogen industry and the broader implications for low-carbon energy transition strategies.

Demand response (DR) is a crucial element in the optimization of integrated energy systems (IESs) that incor porate distributed generation (DG). However its inherent uncertainty poses significant challenges to the eco nomic viability of IESs. This research presents a novel economic dispatch model for IESs utilizing information gap decision theory (IGDT). The model integrates various components to improve IES performance and dispatch efficiency. With a focus on hydrogen energy the model considers users’ energy consumption patterns thereby improving system flexibility. By applying IGDT the model effectively addresses the uncertainty associated with DR and DG overcoming the limitations of traditional methods. The research findings indicate that in relation to the baseline method the proposed model has the potential to reduce operating costs by 6.3 % and carbon emissions by 4.2 %. The integration of a stepwise carbon trading mechanism helps boost both economic and environmental advantages achieving a 100 % wind power consumption rate in the optimized plan. In addition the daily operating costs are minimized to 23758.99 ¥ while carbon emissions are significantly reduced to 34192 kg. These findings provide quantitative decision support for IES dispatch planners to help them develop effective dispatch strategies that are consistent with low-carbon economic initiatives.

This study introduces a multi-period integrated optimization model for designing a strategic hydrogen supply chain (HSC) network concentrating on the post-production stages of conditioning storage transportation and post-conditioning. Qatar serves as the case study for evaluating three HSC pathways—ammonia (as a hydrogen carrier) liquefied hydrogen and compressed hydrogen—across pre-conditioning storage shipping and postconditioning stages. The optimization framework spans a 20-year plan supporting strategic long-term hydrogen export infrastructure planning. Economic and environmental factors are incorporated to analyze HSC performance under various scenarios accounting for realistic constraints such as investment limits and emission caps. Key findings reveal trade-offs between pathways and design strategies that must account for balancing costs with environmental impacts. Results indicate that the ammonia pathway is preferred in scenarios without emission penalties but becomes less favorable with increased penalties shifting preference toward the liquified hydrogen pathway. With stringent emission limits short- and mid-range markets are prioritized underscoring the importance of emissions-conscious strategies. This study demonstrates the utility of optimi zation tools in balancing economic and environmental objectives offering policymakers and industry stake holders a robust framework for developing sustainable and efficient HSC networks.

Solid oxide cells (SOC) play a major role in strategic visions to achieve decarbonization and climate-neutrality. With its multifuel capability this technology has received rapidly growing amount of attention from researchers worldwide. Due to the great flexibility of SOCs with respect to the fuels that can be used not only hydrogen but also biogas natural gas diesel reformates and many other conventional and alternative fuels can be used. This makes it possible to couple SOCs with diverse sustainable fuel sources to generate electricity or to generate valuable fuels such as syngas when utilizing renewable electricity. In this paper the reader is provided with a review of the existing knowledge about solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and solid oxide electrolysis (SOE) systems and how to safely operate them over the long-term placing a special focus on real-world operating environments. Both the utilization and generation of real commercially available fuels are taken into consideration. Different failure modes can appear during the system operation under real-world conditions and reduce the SOC lifetime an aspect that is extensively discussed in this review. Firstly a detailed discussion of the difference between carbon-free and carbon-containing fuels is presented considering different impurities and their impacts on the SOC performance stability and lifetime. Secondly unfavorable operating conditions are presented and possibilities for the early identification of different failure modes are explored. An overview of available conventional and non-conventional diagnostic tools and their applications is provided here. Overall this review paper presents a guideline for all relevant degradation issues related to SOCs operated in a real-world environment describing (i) how these issues appear and how to understand them (ii) how to predict them (iii) how to identify them and (iv) how to prevent them as well as if required how to reverse them. To achieve this goal individual chapters specifically address failure modes degradation prediction degradation prevention and performance regeneration. The reader is provided with necessary knowledge about the long-term and short-term operating stability and the degradation provoked in a compact summary. The available knowledge about specific process frequencies is summarized in one diagram which is a novel contribution of this review. This enables researchers to rapidly identify all occurring process mechanisms with SOFCs and SOECs. Moreover suggestions for how to accelerate degradation and how to regenerate performance are summarized in several tables.

Reversible solid oxide fuel cell (RSOFC) is an energy device that flexibly interchanges between electrical and chemical energy according to people’s life and production needs. The development of cell materials affects the stability and cost of the cell but also restricts its market-oriented development. After decades of research by scientists a lot of achievements and progress have been made on RSOFC materials. According to the composition and requirements of each component of RSOFC this article summarizes the research progress based on materials and discusses the merits and demerits of current cell materials in electrochemical performance. According to the efficiency of different materials in solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC mode) and solid oxide electrolyzer (SOEC mode) the challenges encountered by RSOFC in the operation are evaluated and the future development of RSOFC materials is boldly prospected.

Underground hydrogen storage (UHS) has attracted increasing attention as a promising technology for the largescale storage of renewable energy resources and the decarbonization of energy systems. This study aimed to identify critical parameters influencing UHS performance particularly the role of hydrogen conversion via in situ methanation and hydrogen recovery during production cycles. The main focus is the Lehen field in Upper Austria where a pilot hydrogen storage project was conducted under the leadership of RAG Austria AG. A layered reservoir model was developed on the basis of well-log data to simulate the field trials that occurred in 2016. A sensitivity analysis was performed with the one-parameter-at-a-time (OPAAT) method and the response surface methodology (RSM) to evaluate the impacts of different parameters on hydrogen methanation and hydrogen recovery. The RSM results indicate the activation energy as the most influential factor on methanation that accounts for ~20000 moles variation in generated methane significantly higher than the 6000 moles variance observed in OPAAT. However initial CO2 content contributes up to 15000 moles of methane gener ation as per RSM whereas OPAAT results in a larger impact of up to 32000 moles. These discrepancies demonstrate the limitations of isolated parameter analyses like OPAAT which may not accurately capture the complex interactions between factors influencing the methanation process. This research provides valuable in sights for optimizing UHS performance by emphasizing the influence of reservoir parameters on storage effi ciency. In addition a robust workflow for conducting comprehensive sensitivity analyses of UHS systems is established. By understanding these key factors the potential and predictability of large-scale UHS systems can be significantly improved.

In the pursuit of greener and more self-sufficient healthcare operations this study presents an integrated eco nomic and environmental analysis of on-site co-production of oxygen and hydrogen through proton exchange membrane electrolysis specifically designed for the Santa Maria Hospital in Lisbon Portugal. The proposed system aims to meet the hospital’s oxygen demand while simultaneously producing hydrogen for use in fuel cell electric vehicles such as ambulances. A 1.5 MW PEM electrolyser is found to be sufficient to meet the hospital’s O2 needs while generating hydrogen at a levelized cost of hydrogen of 4.6 €/kgH2. When considering the implementation costs of an on-site hydrogen refueling station an O2 drying and storage unit as well as the avoided costs in bulk liquid O2 purchases the break-even point for the sale of H2 at the refueling stations is 2.4 €/kgH2. Apart from the economic benefits that could be achieved by selling the produced H2 above this price the environmental analysis showed that 1874 tons of CO2 emissions per year could be avoided by the imple mentation of the concept proposed here. This integrated system not only contributes to the hospital’s energy independence but also serves as a model for sustainable solutions in the healthcare sector with significant environmental and financial benefits.

The team sits down with Rishi Jain to discuss Cross River’s marquee wind hydro nuclear hydrogen ammonia project in the revitalized heavy industrial Port of Belledune New Brunswick Canada.

The podcast can be found on their website.

Climate change and environmental degradation are growing concerns in today’s society which has led to greater awareness and responsibility regarding the need to adopt sustainable practices. The European Union has established the goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050 which implies a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in all sectors. To achieve this goal renewable energies the circular economy and energy efficiency are being promoted. A major source of emissions is the use of fossil fuels in different types of ships (from transport ships to those used by national navies). Among these it highlights the growing interest of the defense sector in trying to reduce these emissions. The Spanish Ministry of Defense is also involved in this effort and is taking steps to reduce the carbon footprint in military operations and improve sustainability in equipment acquisition and maintenance. The objective of this study is to identify the most promising alternative fuel among those under development for possible implementation on Spanish Navy ships in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve its capabilities. To achieve this a multi-criteria decision-making method will be used to determine the most viable fuel option. The data provided by the officers of the Spanish Navy is of great importance thanks to their long careers in front of the ships. The analysis revealed that hydrogen was the most suitable fuel with the highest priority ahead of LNG and scored the highest in most of the sections of the officials’ ratings. These fuels are less polluting and would allow a significant reduction in emissions during the navigation of ships. However a further study would also have to be carried out on the costs of adapting to their use and the safety of their use.

During the driving of a fuel cell car the expansion of the hydrogen along the emptying of the high pressure storage tank produces a cooling of the gas. The hydrogen vessel can experience a fast depressurization during acceleration or under an emergency release. This can result on the one hand in exceeding the low safety temperature limit of 40 C inside the on-board compressed hydrogen tank and on the other hand in the cooling of its walls. In the present paper defueling experiments of two different types of on-board hydrogen tanks (Type III and Type IV) have been performed in all the range of expected defueling rates. The lowest temperatures have been found on the bottom part of the Type IV tank in very fast defuelings. For average driving conditions in both types of vessels the inside gas temperature gets closer to that of the walls and the tank would arrive to the refuelling station at a temperature significantly lower than the ambient temperature.

The increasing global residential energy demand causes carbon emissions and ecological impacts necessitating cleaner efficient solutions. This study presents an innovative hybrid energy system integrating wind power and gas turbines for a four-story 16-unit residential building. The system generates electricity heating cooling and hydrogen using a Proton Exchange Membrane electrolyzer and a compression chiller. Integrating the electrolyzer enables hydrogen production and demonstrates hydrogen’s potential as a versatile clean energy carrier for systems contributing to advancements in hydrogen utilization. Simulations with Engineering Equation Solver software coupled with neural network-based multi-objective optimization fine-tuned parameters such as gas turbine efficiency wind turbine count and gas turbine inlet temperature to enhance exergy efficiency and reduce operational costs. The optimized system achieves an energy efficiency of 33.69% and an exergy efficiency of 36.95% and operates at $446.04 per hour demonstrating economic viability. It produces 51061 MWh annually exceeding the building’s energy demands and allowing surplus energy use elsewhere. BEopt simulations confirm the system meets residential needs by providing 2.52 GWh of electricity 3.36 GWh of heating and 5.11 GWh of cooling annually. This system also generates 10 kg of hydrogen per hour and achieves a CO₂ reduction of 10416 tons/year. The wind farm (25 turbines) provides most of the energy at 396.7 dollars per hour while the gas turbine operates at 80% efficiency. By addressing the challenges of intermittent renewable energy in residential Zero-Energy Buildings this research offers a scalable and environmentally friendly solution contributing to sustainable urban living and advancing hydrogen energy applications.

In this study we employ an optimization model to optimally design a self-sufficient independent of any imports and exports hydrogen infrastructure for Austria by 2030. Our approach integrates key hydrogen technologies within a detailed spatial investment and operation model – coupled with a European scale electricity market model. We focus on optimizing diverse infrastructure componentsincluding trailers pipelines electrolyzers and storages to meet Austria's projected hydrogen demand. To accurately estimate this demand in hourly resolution we combine existing hydrogen strategies and projections to account for developments in various industrial sectors consider demand driven by the transport sector and integrate hydrogen demand arising from its use in gas-powered plants. Accounting for the inherent uncertainty linked to such projections we run the analysis for two complementary scenarios. Our approach addresses the challenges of integrating large quantities of renewable hydrogen into a future energy system by recognizing the critical role of domestic production in the early market stages. The main contribution of this work is to address the gap in optimizing hydrogen infrastructure for effective integration of domestic renewable hydrogen production in Austria by 2030 considering sector coupling potentials optimal electrolyzer placement and the design of local hydrogen networks.

The emergence and design of hydrogen transport infrastructures are crucial steps towards the development of a hydrogen economy. However pipeline routing remains underdeveloped in hydrogen infrastructure design models despite its significant impact on the resultant cost and network configuration. Many previous studies assume uniform cost surfaces on which pipelines are designed. Studies that consider a variable cost surface focus on designing candidate networks rather than bespoke routes for a given infrastructure. This study proposes a novel multi-stage approach based on a graph-based Steiner tree with Obstacles Genetic Algorithm (StObGA) to route pipelines on a complex cost surface for multi-source multi-sink hydrogen networks. The application of StObGA results in cost savings of 20–40% compared to alternative graph-based methods that assume uniform cost surfaces. Furthermore this publication presents an in-depth methodological comparative analysis of different pipeline routing and sizing methods used in the literature and discusses their impact. Finally we demonstrate how this model can generate design variations and provide practical insights to inform industry and policymakers.

Energy storage is essential to address the intermittent issues of renewable energy systems thereby enhancing system stability and reliability. This paper presents the design and operation optimisation of hydrogen/battery/ hybrid energy storage systems considering component degradation and energy cost volatility. The study ex amines a real-world case study which is a grid-connected warehouse located in a tropical climate zone with a photovoltaic solar system. An accurate and robust Multi-Objective Modified Firefly Algorithm (MOMFA) is proposed for the optimal design and operation of the energy storage systems of the case study. To further demonstrate the robustness and versatility of the optimisation method another synthetic case is tested for a location in a temperate climate zone that has a high seasonal mismatch. The modelling results show that the system in the tropical zone always provides a superior return when compared to a similar system in the temperate zone due to abundant solar resources. When comparing battery-only and hydrogen-only systems battery systems perform better than hydrogen systems in many situations with a higher self-sufficient ratio and net present value. However if there is high seasonal variation and a high requirement for using renewable energy (the penetration of renewable energy is >80 %) using hydrogen for energy storage is more beneficial. Furthermore the hybrid system (i.e. combining battery and hydrogen) outperforms battery-only and hydrogenonly systems. This is attributed to the complementary combination of hydrogen which can be used as a longterm energy storage option and battery which is utilised as a short-term option. This study also shows that storing hydrogen in a long-term strategy can lower component degradation enhance efficiency and increase the total economic performance of hydrogen and hybrid storage systems. The developed optimisation method and findings of this study can support the implementation of energy storage systems for renewable energy.

The application of hydrogen energy produced by proton exchange membrane electrolyzer (PEMEC) is conducive to the solution of the greenhouse effect and the energy crisis. In order to understand the development trends and research hotspot of PEMEC in recent years a total of 1874 research articles related to this field from 2003 to 2023 were obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoS CC) database. The visualization software VOSviewer is used for bibliometric analysis and the research progress hotspots and trends in the PEMEC field are summarized. It was found that in the past two decades literature in the PEMEC field has shown a trend of stable increase at first and then rapidly increasing. And it is in a stage of rapid growth after 2021.Renewable Energy previously published research articles related to PEMEC with the highest frequency of citations. There are a total of 6128 researchers in this field but core authors only account for 4.5% of the total. Although China entered this field later than the United States and Canada it has the largest number of research articles. The research results provide a comprehensive overview of various aspects in the PEMEC field which is beneficial for researchers to grasp the development hotspots of PEMEC.

Chemical looping dry reforming of methane (CLDRM) using perovskites as a catalyst is considered a promising option for producing hydrogen from biogas. In this work the life-cycle performance of a system compiling a CLDRM unit paired with a water gas shift unit a pressure swing adsorption unit and a combined cycle scheme to provide steam and electricity was assessed. The main data needed to reflect the behavior of the reforming reaction was obtained experimentally and implemented in an Aspen Plus® simulation. Inventory data was obtained through process simulation and used to assess the environmental performance of the process in terms of carbon footprint acidification freshwater eutrophication ozone depletion photochemical ozone formation and depletion of minerals and metals. Overall the environmental viability of the production of green hydrogen from biogas was found to be heavily dependent on the biogas leakage in anaerobic digestion plants. The CLDRM system was benchmarked against a conventional DRM implementation for the same feedstock. While the conventional DRM plant environmentally outperformed the perovskite-based CLDRM the latter might present advantages from an implementation point of view.

This work presents a comparative novel evaluation of two distinct fuels methanol and hydrogen production and power generation routes via fuel cells. The first route includes the methanol production from direct partial oxidation of methane to methanol where the methanol is condensed stored and sent to a direct methanol fuel cell. The second route is hydrogen production from solar methane cracking (named as turquoise hydrogen) where heat is supplied from concentrated solar power and hydrogen is stored and directed to a hydrogen fuel cell. This study aims to provide insights into these fuel's production conditions storage methods energy and exergy efficiencies. The proposed system is simulated using the Engineering Equation Solver software and a thermodynamic analysis of the entire system including all the equipment and process streams is performed. The methanol and hydrogen route's overall energy and exergy efficiencies are 39.75% 38.35% 35.84% and 34.58% respectively. The highest exergy destruction rate of 1605 kW is observed for the partial oxidation of methane to methanol. The methanol and hydrogen routes generate 32.087 MWh and 11.582 MWh of electricity for 16-hour of fuel cell operation respectively. Sensitivity analysis has been performed to observe the effects of different parameters such as operating temperature and mass flow rate of fuels on the electricity production and energy efficiencies of the systems.

In recent years production and supply of hydrogen has gained significant attention within the German energy transition. This is due to increasingly urgent pressures to mitigate climate change and geopolitical imperatives to substitute natural gas. Hydrogen is seen as an important cross-sectoral energy carrier serving multiple functions including heat production for industry and households fuel for transportation and energy storage for stabilization of electricity supply. In the context of various funding mechanisms on several administrative levels regional value chains for green hydrogen supply are emerging. To date however few studies analyzing regional hydrogen systems exist. Due to its high projected demand of energy sources for heating industrial processes and mobility Germany appears to be a very relevant research area in this emerging field. Situated within the concept of the multi-level perspective this article examines the way how regional “niches” of green hydrogen evolve and how they are organized. The study takes an evolutionary perspective in analyzing processes of embedding green hydrogen infrastructures in regional energy regimes which entered “re-configuration”-pathways. It argues that the congruence of available resources for renewable electricity established networks of institutional entrepreneurs and access to higher level funding are conditions which put incumbent regime-actors in favorable positions to implement green hydrogen niches. Conversely the embedding of green hydrogen infrastructures in regional energy systems is a case in point of how the attributes of niches in particular technological domains can be used to explain the transition pathway entered by a surrounding energy regime.

The purpose of this paper is to give a strategic overview of the existing standards governing the construction and operation of hydrogen refueling stations. A succinct and comprehensive study of hydrogen refueling station standards globally in Europe and in Italy is conducted and discussed in light of the new European Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap. Among the numerous topics examined a particular emphasis is placed on the standards in force for on-site hydrogen production via water electrolysis hydrogen storage both liquid and gaseous and refueling protocols for lightduty and heavy-duty vehicles on an international level through the provision of ISO IEC and SAE standards; on a European level through the examination of the CEN/CENELEC database; and on an Italian national level through the analysis of the UNI database.