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Clean energy resources will be used more for sustainability improvement and durable development. Efficient technologies of energy production, storage, and usage results in reduction of gas emissions and improvement of the world economy. Despite 30% of electricity being produced from wind energy, the connection of wind farms to medium and large-scale grid power systems is still leading to instability and intermittency problems. Therefore, the conversion of electrical energy generated from wind parks into green hydrogen consists of an exciting solution for advancing the development of green hydrogen production, and the clean transportation sector. This paper presents a techno-economic optimization of hydrogen production for refueling fuel cell vehicles, using wind energy resources. The paper analyses three configurations, standalone Wind-Park Hydrogen Refueling Station (WP-HRS) with backup batteries, WP-HRS with backup fuel cells, and grid-connected WP-HRS. The analysis of different configurations is based on the wind potential at the site, costs of different equipment, and hydrogen load. Therefore, the study aims to find the optimized capacity of wind turbines, electrolyzers, power converters, and storage tanks. The optimization results show that the WP-HRS connected to the grid has the lowest Present Worth Cost (PWC) of 6,500,000 €. Moreover, the Levelized Hydrogen Cost (LHC) of this solution was found to be 6.24 €/kg. This renewable energy system produces 80,000 kg of green hydrogen yearly. • Wind to green hydrogen represents an interesting solution for greenhouse gas reduction. • Three configurations of wind-park stations designed for green hydrogen production are analyzed. • Grid-connected wind park consists of an optimal solution for the wind park hydrogen station. • The Levelized cost of hydrogen production using a 5 MW grid-connected wind park is 6.24 €/kg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green hydrogen reduces carbon dioxide emission, advances the dependency on fossil fuels and improves the economy of the energy sector, especially in developing countries. Hydrogen is required for the green transportation sector and many other industrial applications. However, the high cost of green hydrogen production reduces the fast development of renewable energy projects based on hydrogen production. So, sizing by optimization is required to determine the optimum solutions for green hydrogen production. In this context, this paper aims to analyze three methods that can be developed and implemented for the production of green hydrogen for refueling stations using photovoltaic (PV) systems. Techno-economic models are adopted to calculate the Levelized Hydrogen Cost (LHC) for the PV grid-connected system, stand-alone PV system with batteries, and stand-alone PV system with fuel cells. The photovoltaic systems based green hydrogen refueling stations are optimized using Homer software. The optimization results of the Net Profit Cost (NPC), and the LHC permit the comparison of the three cases and the selection of the optimal solution. The analysis has shown that a 3 MWp grid-connected PV system represents a promising green hydrogen production at an LHC of 5.5 €/kg. The system produces 58 615 kg of green hydrogen per year reducing carbon dioxide emission by 8209 kg per year. The LHC in the stand-alone PV system with batteries, and stand-alone PV system with fuel cells are 5.74 €/kg and 7.38 €/kg, respectively. • Levelized costs of hydrogen produced in photovoltaic refueling stations are analyzed. • Grid-connected photovoltaic system is an optimal solution providing green hydrogen. • Surplus of electricity produced in hydrogen stations is sold back to the power grid. • A 3 MWp photovoltaic system produces 58 615 kg of hydrogen at a levelized cost of 5.5 €/kg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper sheds the light on the future of green hydrogen in Tunisia. So, a detailed economic assessment and evaluation of the Levelized Hydrogen Cost (LHC) and the Net Profit (NP) of a Photovoltaic (PV) Hydrogen Refueling Station (HRS) are presented and discussed. Tunisia is characterized by its high PV potential which makes the production of electricity from solar energy an effective alternative source. However, due to the regulations and issues related to the connection of medium PV scale to the power grid, the energy produced from renewable sources (RS) is still less than 3% of the total produced electricity. On the other hand, the price of hydrocarbon fuels is still increasing. The gap between production and total demand in hydrocarbons has created a deficit in the primary energy balance. Therefore, the production of hydrogen from solar energy for refueling Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCV)s consists of a promising solution to boost the development of the country, reduce hydrocarbon fuels consumption, and protect the environment. The sizing of a small PV-HRS to produce 150 kg of hydrogen per day shows the necessity to install PV systems with a total Direct Current (DC) capacity of 1.89 MWp. The Initial Cost (IC) analysis shows that while the PV system cost represents 48.5% of the total IC, the IC of electrolysers represents 41%. The storage system cost is approximately equal to 3.2% of the total IC. The LHC is equal to 3.32€/kg with a total IC of 2.34 million €. • An economic assessment and evaluation of PV-HRS producing 150 kg of hydrogen in Tunis are presented. • The LHC for the hydrogen produced at PV-HRS is estimated at 3.32€/kg. • The 150 kg PV-HRS has a breakdown of 8 years for a selling price of 8€ per kg of Hydrogen. • The IC and the LHC depend mainly on the prices of the PV panels, electrolyzers, and storage tanks. • Green hydrogen is a promising solution for future transport systems in Tunisia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen is one of the energy carriers that can be produced using different techniques. Combining multiple energy sources can enhance hydrogen production and meet other electrical demands. The hybrid arrangement allows the produced hydrogen to be stored and used when the electrical energy sources are not adequate. In this study, utilizing the meteorological data was investigated using HOMER (Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources) software for the optimal solution. The results demonstrated that the "best-optimized system has 270 kW of photovoltaic (PV), 1 unit of 300 kW of wind turbine (WT), 500 kW of electrolyzer, 100 kg/L of the hydrogen tank, 70 units of 1 kWh lithium-ion battery, and 472 kW of the converter. The selected hybrid energy system has the lowest Levelized cost of energy (LCOE), Levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH), and net present cost (NPC) of $/kg 0.6208, $/kg 9.34, and $ 484,360.00 respectively which judged the system to be the best choice for the proposed hydrogen project in AI-Kharj. This investigation will help stakeholders and policymakers optimize hybrid energy systems that economically meet the hydrogen production and refueling station demands of the AI-Kharj community. • Study of electrical energy generation for hydrogen production using renewable energy sources was performed. • Renewable energy sources are available in AI-Kharj as a result of the geographical location of the city. • HOMER software enhances the optimization and selection of the best hybrid energy system. • The selected hybrid energy system to meet the energy needs of the AI-Kharj has the lowest NPC, LCOE, and LCOH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]