Production & Supply Chain

This study investigated the potential of large-scale wind-powered green hydrogen production in Tunisia through a combined spatio-techno-economic analysis. Using a geographic information system-based Multi-Criteria Decision-Making approach optimal locations for wind-hydrogen systems were identified based on criteria such as hydrogen potential slope land use and proximity to essential infrastructure (water resources grid network transportation and urban areas). The Best worst method (BMW) technique was employed to assign weights to the identified criteria. Subsequently a techno-economic assessment was conducted at six prospective onshore wind project sites to evaluate the economic feasibility of hydrogen production. Therefore the main contribution of this study lies in the synergistic combination of a wind-specific focus application of an efficient and consistent BWM methodology within a GIS framework and detailed site-specific techno-economic validation of the spatially identified optimal locations. The results of the spatial analysis indicated that 15.91 % (21185 km²) of Tunisia’s land was suitable for wind-based hydrogen production with 1110 km² exhibiting exceptional suitability primarily in the central-western southwestern southeastern and coastal regions. Among the five evaluated wind turbine models the E115-3000 proved to be the most efficient. Site S3 (Sidi Abdelrahman) demonstrated the highest annual energy output (117.7 GWh) and hydrogen production potential (1267–1482 t) while S5 (Souk El Ahed) yielded the lowest energy output (50.121 GWh). Economically S3 emerged as the most advantageous site with the lowest Levelized Cost of Electricity (0.0446 $/kWh) and Levelized Cost of Hydrogen (3.581 $/kg) followed by S4. S5 had the highest LCOE (0.0643 $/kWh) and LCOH (5.169 $/kg). These findings highlight Tunisia’s promising potential for cost-competitive green hydrogen production particularly in identified optimal locations thus contributing to renewable energy targets and sustainable development.

Natural hydrogen (H2) holds promising potential as a clean energy source but its exploration remains challenging due to limited knowledge and a lack of quantitative tools. In this context identifying active H2 seepage areas is crucial for advancing exploration efforts. Here we focus on sub-circular depressions (SCDs) that often mark high H2 concentration in soils thought to correspond to deeper fluxes seeping at the surface making them promising targets for exploration. Coupling open-access Google Earth© images and in-field H2 measurement data an artificial intelligence model was trained to detect seepage zones. The model achieves an average precision of 95 % detects and maps seepage zones in new regions like Kazakhstan and South Africa highlighting its potential for global application. Moreover preliminary spatial analyses show that geological features control the distribution of H2-SCDs that can emit billions of tons of H2 at the scale of a sedimentary basin. This study paves the way for a faster and more efficient methodology for selecting H2 exploration targets. Plain Language Summary. Natural hydrogen is a promising clean energy source but it remains difficult to explore due to a lack of accessible tools. In this study we used free satellite images (Google Earth©) and in-field hydrogen measurements to identify specific surface features - small sub-circular depressions (SCDs) - that often mark areas where hydrogen is seeping from underground. We trained an artificial intelligence model to detect these depressions using a dataset of confirmed hydrogen-emitting SCDs collected across five countries. Thanks to this diversity in the training data the model can be applied at a global scale having learned to recognize a wide variety of structures associated with hydrogen seepage. To validate its effectiveness the model was tested on two random regions - in Kazakhstan and South Africa - and successfully identified over a thousand new potential hydrogen-emitting depressions. With an average precision of 95 % this tool offers a fast and reliable way to map natural hydrogen seepage zones helping guide future exploration efforts worldwide.

Oceanic energy such as offshore wind energy and various marine energy sources holds signifi cant potential for generating green hydrogen through water electrolysis. Offshore-generated hydrogen has the potential to be transported through standard pipelines and stored in diverse forms. This aids in mitigating the variability of renewable energy sources in power generation and consequently holds the capacity to reshape the framework of electrical systems. This research provides a comprehensive review of the existing state of investigation and technological advancement in the domain of offshore wind energy and other marine energy sources for generating green hydrogen. The primary focus is on technical economic and environmental is sues. The technology’s optimal features have been pinpointed to achieve the utmost capacity for hydrogen production providing insights for potential enhancements that can propel research and development efforts forward. The objective of this study is to furnish valuable information to energy companies by pre senting multiple avenues for technological progress. Concurrently it strives to expand its tech nical and economic outlook within the clean fuel energy sector. This analysis delivers insights into the best operating conditions for an offshore wind farm the most suitable electrolyzer for marine environments and the most economical storage medium. The green hydrogen production process from marine systems has been found to be feasible and to possess a reduced ecological footprint compared to grey hydrogen production.

This study investigates the performance of an online hydrogen quality analyzer (HQA) integrated with gas chromatography with a pulsed discharge helium ionization detector (GC-PDHID) and a dew point transmitter (DPT) for real-time monitoring at a hydrogen production plant (HPP). The HQA measures impurities such as O2 N2 H2O CO CO2 and CH4. Over two months of monitoring O2 and H2O concentrations consistently exceeded ISO 14687 thresholds even without calibration or maintenance events suggesting potential leaks or inefficiencies in the hydrogen production process. The study highlights the importance of real-time monitoring in ensuring hydrogen fuel quality and improving the efficiency of hydrogen production and distribution. While the HQA does not detect all impurities specified in ISO 14687 focusing on key indicators mitigates the limitations of offline methods. The findings emphasize the need to update ISO standards to include guidance for online monitoring technologies to meet evolving purity requirements.

This study presents a holistic technoeconomic analysis of solar photovoltaic-based green hydrogen production facilities assessing hydrogen output potential and cost structures under various facility configurations. Four system cases are defined based on the inclusion of new photovoltaic (PV) panels and hydrogen storage (HS) subsystems considering Southern Ontario solar data and a 30-year operational lifespan. Through a system level modeling we incorporate the initial costs of sub-systems (PV panels power conditioning devices electrolyser battery pack and hydrogen storage) operating and maintenance expenses and replacement costs to determine the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH). The results of this study indicate that including hydrogen storage significantly impacts optimal electrolyser sizing creating a production bottleneck around 400 kW for a 1 MWp PV system (yielding approximately 590 tons H2 over a period of 30 years) whereas systems without storage achieve higher yields (about 1080 tons of H2) with larger electrolysers (approximately 620 kW). The lifetime cost analysis reveals that operating and maintenance cost constitutes the dominant expenditure (68–76 %). Including hydrogen storage increases the minimum LCOH and sharply penalizes electrolyser oversizing relative to storage capacity. For a 1 MWp base system minimum LCOH ranged from approximately $3.50/kg (existing PV no HS) to $6/kg (existing PV with HS) $11–12/kg (new PV no HS) and $22–25/kg (new PV with HS). Leveraging existing PV infrastructure drastically reduces LCOH. Furthermore significant economies of scale are observed with increasing PV facility capacity potentially lowering LCOH below $2/kg at the 100 MWp scale. The study therefore underscores that there is a critical interplay between system configuration component sizing operating and maintenance management and facility scale in determining the economic viability of solar hydrogen production.

This review thoroughly examines the potential of water ultrasonication (US) for producing hydrogen. First it discusses ultrasonication reactor designs and techniques for measuring ultrasonication power and optimizing energy. Then it explores the results of hydrogen production via ultrasonication experiments focusing on the impact of processing factors such as ultrasonication frequency acoustic intensity dissolved gases pH temperature and static pressure on the process. Additionally it examines advanced ultrasonication techniques such as US/photolysis US/catalysis and US/photocatalysis emphasizing how these techniques could increase hydrogen production. Lastly to progress the efficacy and scalability of hydrogen generation through ultrasonication the review identifies existing challenges proposes solutions and suggests areas for future research.

Hydrogen-based greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation strategies can have multi-sector benefits and are considered necessary to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Assessments of hydrogen scale-up have not included long-term implications for water resources. This work aims to fill this knowledge gap through a long-term integrated assessment of the water consumption GHG emissions and costs of conventional and low-carbon hydrogen scenarios to the year 2050. A framework was developed and 120 long-term scenarios were assessed for the large-scale deployment of low-carbon hydrogen in a hydrogen-intensive economy. This study considered 15 different natural gas- and electrolysis-based hydrogen production technologies. A case study for Alberta a western Canadian province and a fossil fuel-intensive region was carried out. The results obtained project a cumulative mitigation of 9 to 162 million tonnes of carbon emissions between 2026 and 2050 through the implementation of low-carbon hydrogen production scenarios compared to the business-as-usual scenario. However cumulative water consumption increases considerably with the large-scale deployment of low-carbon hydrogen reaching 8 to 3815 million cubic meters. The adoption of green hydrogen technologies increases water consumption significantly. Depending on the jurisdiction of analysis and its water bodies this increase may or may not be a long-term issue. Low-carbon hydrogen scenarios start becoming cost-effective as the carbon price rises to $170/tCO2e. The developed integrated framework can be used globally to assess long-term hydrogen implementation with appropriate adjustments in data.

Biogas (primarily biomethane) as a carbon-neutral renewable energy source holds great potential to replace fossil fuels for sustainable hydrogen production. Conventional biogas reforming systems adopt strategies similar to industrial natural gas reforming posing challenges such as high temperatures high energy consumption and high system complexity. In this study we propose a novel multi-product sequential separation-enhanced reforming method for biogas-derived hydrogen production which achieves high H2 yield and CO2 capture under mid-temperature conditions. The effects of reaction temperature steam-to-methane ratio and CO2/CH4 molar ratio on key performance metrics including biomethane conversion and hydrogen production are investigated. At a moderate reforming temperature of 425 ◦C and pressure of 0.1 MPa the conversion rate of CH4 in biogas reaches 97.1% the high-purity hydrogen production attains 2.15 mol-H2/mol-feed and the hydrogen yield is 90.1%. Additionally the first-law energy conversion efficiency from biogas to hydrogen reaches 65.6% which is 11 percentage points higher than that of conventional biogas reforming methods. The yield of captured CO2 reaches 1.88 kg-CO2/m3 -feed effectively achieving near-complete recovery of green CO2 from biogas. The mild reaction conditions allow for a flexible integration with industrial waste heat or a wide selection of other renewable energy sources (e.g. solar heat) facilitating distributed and carbonnegative hydrogen production.

The global shift away from fossil fuels necessitates swift and transformative action underscoring the need for timely and accurate insights into emerging low-carbon technologies. This review provides a comprehensive and systematic analysis of innovation trends within the hydrogen technology ecosystem. Drawing on global patent data as a key indicator of industrial innovation the study offers a forward-looking assessment of technological developments spanning the entire hydrogen value chain like production storage distribution transformation and end-use applications across various sectors. By evaluating patent activity over time and across regions the review highlights significant innovation trends identifies leading industrial contributors and maps the evolving global competitive landscape. Particular attention is given to regional dynamics and sector-specific breakthroughs offering a nuanced perspective for policymakers investors and stakeholders engaged in energy transition planning. As hydrogen becomes increasingly central to decarbonization strategies worldwide this study serves as a critical intelligence resource illuminating current trajectories and signalling potential technological inflection points in the ongoing energy transformation.

The escalating climate crisis and unsustainable waste management practices necessitate integrated approaches that simultaneously address energy security and environmental degradation. Hydrogen with its high energy density and zero-carbon combustion is a key vector for decarbonization; however conventional production methods are fossildependent and carbon-intensive. This systematic review explores biowaste-to-hydrogen (WtH) technologies as dual-purpose solutions converting organic waste to clean hydrogen while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and landfill reliance. A comprehensive analysis of different conversion pathways including thermochemical (gasification pyrolysis hydrothermal and partial oxidation (POX)) biochemical (dark fermentation photofermentation and sequential fermentation) and electrochemical methods (MECs) is presented assessing their hydrogen yields feedstock compatibilities environmental impacts and technological readiness. Systematic literature review methods were employed using databases such as Scopus and Web of Science with strict inclusion criteria focused on recent peerreviewed studies. This review highlights hydrothermal gasification and dark fermentation as particularly promising for wet biowaste streams like food waste. Comparative environmental analyses reveal that bio-based hydrogen pathways offer significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions energy use and pollutant outputs than conventional methods. Future research directions emphasize process integration catalyst development and lifecycle assessment. The findings aim to inform technology selection policymaking and strategic investment in circular low-carbon hydrogen production.