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This article estimates the potential of using depleted offshore gas fields in Brazil for hydrogen storage and the effects this may have in terms of energy security. Brazil is starting to invest in producing green hydrogen associated with offshore wind energy generation. This initiative has stimulated the search for suitable locations to store hydrogen, including in depleted offshore gas reservoirs. The methodology used in this paper allows for identifying which of the 85 assessed depleted offshore gas fields are the most suitable for hydrogen storage and evaluating the storage capacity of the selected fields. In addition, a wind speed analysis is made to investigate possible locations for prospective wind energy generation projects that can accommodate green hydrogen production. As our main result, we find that the selected depleted offshore gas fields have the potential to store around 5483 TWh worth of hydrogen. This amount is equivalent to about 10 times the total annual electricity consumption in Brazil. Hence, Brazil can comfortably leverage its offshore wind potential in connection with hydrogen production to enhance the energy security of its electricity supply. Considering that to date primarily natural gas has been used as the main source of energy security in Brazil and that its share in the electricity sector has significantly increased over the last decade, the combination of hydrogen storage and renewable energy such as offshore wind power has the potential to provide a resilient and decarbonised electricity system in the country. Furthermore, hydrogen stored in offshore reservoirs in Brazil can become an important resource in the international energy market and constitute a possible key to energy security for countries to which Brazil may export hydrogen. We end our paper by providing comments on the challenges, opportunities, and prospects of offshore hydrogen storage in Brazil. • Offshore natural gas fields in Brazil are suitable for hydrogen storage. • Depleted offshore gas fields can store around 5483 TWh worth of hydrogen. • Two main offshore storage clusters exist in the Southeast and Northeast of Brazil. • Fossil fuel dependence in Brazil can be reduced through hydrogen use and storage. • Large-scale hydrogen storage can contribute to Brazil's energy security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new approach to calculating the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) using a stochastic model under an uncertainty and risk perspective. The research problem is associated with how to integrate the concept of financial risk to assess investments in small-scale green hydrogen production for more robust results, resolving issues related to underlying economic and technical factors, often overlooked, that may impact the production of green hydrogen in Brazil and Germany. The approach is applied to an investment project at two localities: Itajubá, Brazil, and Cologne, Germany, to investigate the underlying economic and technical factors that may impact the production of green hydrogen. In this stochastic approach, the Value at Risk (VaR) is calculated with a confidence level of 95% for 5000 LCOH values for each city, generated by the Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS). MCS results show that a correlation between assumptions (uncertainties) significantly affects LCOH with more favorable conditions to produce green hydrogen in Cologne. The risk analysis results show a significant difference concerning the deterministic approach when implementing the risk measure with VaR-LCOH of US$8.39 for Itajubá and VaR-LCOH of US$8.21 for Cologne. • Green hydrogen Investments are evaluated techno-economically in Brazil and Germany. • A Monte Carlo approach under uncertainty and risk conditions is implemented. • A stochastic LCOH based on VaR-LCOH metric is proposed to evaluate the risk. • The different nuances that the assumptions assume in calculating LCOH are discussed. • The risk analysis shows a difference regarding the deterministic approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brazil has great potential for diversification and decarbonization of its energy matrix, with the insertion of a clean and renewable energy source such as hydrogen. This paper seeks to evaluate the surplus energy potential of solar and nuclear plants installed in the country for the production of green and purple hydrogen using high and low temperature electrolysis methods. Based on official reports and databases of energy production and demand, the results indicated that the total potential of surplus solar energy is equal to 4.29E+07 (kWh.d−1). Further, the total potential of electricity production from the hydrogen obtained through surplus solar energy was equivalent to1.87E+07 (kWh.d−1); and the total cost of producing solar hydrogen is equal to 1.07E+03 (USD.kWh−1). In conclusion, the study contributed to demonstrate the pathways to the establishment of strategies that assist the transition to a hydrogen economy in Brazil. [Display omitted] • Surplus energy potential of solar and nuclear plants for green and purple hydrogen production. • Potential of surplus solar energy is equal to 4.29E+07 kWh.d−1. • Electricity production equal to.87E+07 kWh.d−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a case study focusing on fourteen most used energy alternatives in Brazil, possible to feed large scale hydrogen production plants for the automotive sector. The evaluations are made using a Decision Making Support Method, MACBETH - Measuring Attractiveness by a Categorical Based Evaluation Technique, with the computational code M-MACBETH 3.2.0, using criteria that include economic and financial, technological, environmental and social aspects. The selected criteria that were used in the assessment, for each of the energy alternatives are capital to be invested in a plant, leveled cost of electric energy produced, CO 2 emissions, mortality rate due to the technology use and energy efficiency of technology. The main results obtained showed that photovoltaics off grid electric energy is the most attractive alternative, followed by the photovoltaic on grid alternative, for an eventual automotive hydrogen program in Brazil. • Multicriteria method was used in this study. • Economic, financial, technological and environmental aspects were considered. • Several criteria were considered including emissions and mortality rate. • Photovoltaics off grid was considered the most attractive energy alternative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thematic area studied in this paper considers environmental issues such as atmospheric pollution from the combustion of fossil fuels, and the environmental impacts from the generation of urban agricultural solid wastes. This study has estimated the potential for hydrogen and biogas production from solid urban waste (SUW) and wine waste from Bento Gonçalves, which is a region in Brazil with the largest wine throughput and subsequent waste generation, thus providing a potential high-energy feedstock. The resulting hydrogen and biogas are assumed to displace the existing fuels in the local bus fleet. The analytical work consisted of three scenarios - scenario 1: production of biogas using SUW, sourced exclusively from the municipality of Bento Gonçalves; Scenario 2: the possibility to supply SUW from Bento Gonçalves and surrounding cities, to produce biogas; Scenario 3: the possibility to use wine waste and SUW for biogas production. Scenario 3 showed the greatest energy yield with 37.9 Gg of biomethane produced per year, which can supply the entire public bus fleet of Bento Gonçalves. The resulting hydrogen production potential using steam reforming of biomethane is 1.09 E+08 Nm3H 2.d−1 which can generate 2.62 TW h.year−1 of electrical energy, avoiding approximate emissions of 355 ktonCO 2.year−1. These findings indicate value in the production of biogas from urban and agricultural wastes, especially for the generation of methane, hydrogen and useful energy outputs. Its production from renewable and clean sources contributes to the gradual transformation of an economy currently dependent on non-renewable resources into a circular and renewable economy. [Display omitted] • Biomethane and hydrogen production from the wine industry. • 7.76 E+06 and 1.09 E+08 Nm3.d−1 of H 2 production. • 2.53 E + 04 to 3.55 E+05 tonCO 2.year−1 of avoided emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This manuscript presents a clean energy solution for marine applications, investigating both the choice of the most promising production and storage technologies and, in a second step, the best operational management in order to satisfy a ship's energy demand. The case study subject of the analysis is a ferry, with a capacity up to 200 people, operating on the artificial lake of Itaipu hydroelectric plant (on the border between Brazil and Paraguay). In the framework of new international rules, aimed at clean and sustainable solutions, in particular in Emission Control Areas, PEM fuel cells are a promising technology for onboard power generation. In this paper a PEM fuel cell system is investigated in detail, analyzing the best operative strategy in terms of energy efficiency, CO2 emissions and costs, in comparison with the state-of-the-art solution for ships (fuel oil ICEs). The analysis is performed with two dedicated software tools, both developed at the University of Genoa: the first is a tool modeled to support the preliminary design and the choice of the most promising solutions for maritime applications; the second is a software program for thermo-economic analysis of energy systems in time-dependent conditions, aimed at determination of the best operative strategy, minimizing operative costs. The proposed approach has general validity thus it can also be applied to different kinds of ships, even considering different technologies for energy generation and storage. • We investigate different alternative technologies for energy production and storage. • We choose the best solution and compare it with the state of the art one. • We perform a time-dependent analysis of the two best technologies. • We compare the results in terms of fuel consumptions, emissions and costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper unveils the technology developed for a series hybrid battery-dominant electric-hydrogen fuel cell plug-in city bus. It possesses a homemade power train with three electric energy sources, which are the grid-charged energy, the one produced by the fuel cell that works at constant power and acts as a range extender and that resultant from the regeneration of kinetic energy. Emphasis was given to the design of the hybridization energy engineering that has predominance of power in batteries and predominance of energy with hydrogen. The remarkable amount of 46.6% of the total energy input reaches the motor axle for effective motion and a fuel economy of 6.7 kg H 2 /100 km was achieved. A total owner cost analysis has shown that computation of capital, operational and fueling costs makes the present bus 133% more expensive than a conventional diesel powered one. Commercialization prospects, and also social and environmental impacts are analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last decades, the whole world has been feeling the effects of environmental pollution, especially air pollution in large cities, with the transport sector as a major contributor to this scenario. In this sense, Brazil presents 27 states with great potential for biogas generation from landfills through anaerobic digestion. Only in the year 2016, the calculations presented in this paper point to a methane production in landfills of 5.57E+09 m 3 . On the other hand, the high number of rivers and hydroelectric dams in the country makes possible the generation of electricity that reached 90.27 TWh in 2016. However, the water that is drained by the floodgates to control the level of the reservoirs becomes an interesting wasted energy source for other uses, such as the production of other clean fuel, hydrogen, through classical processes such as electrolysis. It is pointed out the possibility of producing 2.76E+06 tons of hydrogen only with the energy drained in these hydroelectric plants. These two fuels together can be used to fuel vehicles powered by the hydrogen–methane blends, like HBio95 and HBio60. The promise of harmful and CO 2 emissions by focusing on mixture of gases has recently attracted the interest of vehicle manufacturers and transport operators. In this scenario, this work presents an analysis on the use of mixture of gases in the urban bus fleet of the 27 Brazilian states, using as energy source derived from secondary energy from Brazilian hydroelectric plants and biogas from sanitary landfills, comparing this scenario with the use of only methane from landfills or only H 2 from hydroelectric plants, assessing issues such as pollutant emissions, engine performance and deployment facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]