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In the contemporary global discourse on environmental and developmental issues, the dual challenges of sustainable green energy and water supply stand paramount. These elements are vitally intertwined with the socio-economic vitality of the world. Notably, regions plagued by freshwater scarcity are increasingly turning to desalination which consists of a reliable and unconventional water source. The intersection of renewable energy with desalination and water purification processes presents a compelling synergy. This approach is particularly pertinent in areas where freshwater shortages coexist with abundant solar energy availability. Additionally, these technologies boast the advantage of low operational and maintenance costs. This paper delves into the design, optimization and financial analysis of a novel, standalone hybrid energy system, integrating photovoltaic and fuel cell technologies, for an agriculture farm situated in Kairouan, Tunisia. Unlike conventional systems, this model foregoes battery storage in favour of hydrogen storage, generated through water electrolysis powered by solar energy. This system harnesses solar energy for direct electrical power generation and hydrogen gas production. A segment of the generated electricity is allocated to electrolysis for green hydrogen production. In times of solar unavailability, the stored hydrogen is reconverted to electricity via a fuel cell. An intriguing aspect of this system is the utilization of saline well water, which, due to its high salt content, necessitates purification through desalination to prevent damage to the electrolysis unit and to render it suitable for agricultural irrigation. [Display omitted] • The production of green hydrogen, water and electricity for agriculture farm in Tunisia is analyzed. • The Levelized cost of green hydrogen produced in the PV farm is 2.25 €/kg. • A PV hydrogen Farm station with a capacity of 140 kW produces 1991 kg of green hydrogen and 235 MW h of electricity yearly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examines the potential for hydrogen production using the hybrid energy system at the Shagaya renewable power plant. Techno-economic and optimization analyses are used to identify the optimum configurations that reduce costs while increasing the renewable fraction and lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Three configurations were considered, exploring on- and off-grid combinations of photovoltaic solar (PV), wind turbine (WT), fuel cells and batteries. Integrating PV solar with wind power connected to the power grid was found to achieve the lowest levelized cost of energy of 0. 539 $ / kWh and a hydrogen production cost of 6. 85 $ / kg. However, for the stand-alone system where battery storage banks or fuel cells are used, the cost of hydrogen increases to more than 8. 0 $ / kg due to the larger capital cost of the system. The optimized system achieves annual green hydrogen production of 111 877 kg along with an annual carbon dioxide emission reduction of 14 819 kg. A sensitivity analysis proves that COE is more sensitive to PV price than wind turbines and electrolyzers. LCOE falls by 32.3% to 0.365 kWh when the PV unit price drops to 50%. The LCOE falls by 4% to 0.517 kWh when WT costs decrease by 50%. [Display omitted] • PV and wind integration connected to the power grid achieves low LCOE ($0.539/kWh) and hydrogen cost ($6.85/kg). • Battery and fuel cell systems increase hydrogen cost to more than $8.0/kg due to high capital expenses. • Optimized system produces 111,877 kg of green hydrogen annually, reducing CO 2 emissions by 14,819 kg. • LCOE is highly sensitive to PV cost. A 50% PV price drop reduces LCOE by 32.3% to $0.365/kWh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The escalating trend of using hydro and solar resources to generate electricity and providing green hydrogen for the transportation sector is considered as a most optimal pathway to reducing the greenhouse gas emission. As a contribution, this study focuses on optimizing the production of green hydrogen in a combined hydroelectric-photovoltaic power station located in southern Oman. The study employed a simulated model to perform techno-economic analysis and optimize the components of the hybrid power station. The model aims to optimize the components of hydroelectric photovoltaic hybrid power station connected to the power grid. The fundamental parameters to perform this analysis are the average stream flow and solar radiation. This study is depicting the production of hydrogen from a power grid as well as its utilization in conversion to green hydrogen. The economic analysis of the project depends mainly on the cost of hydro turbines, power converters, PV panels, electrolyzers and hydrogen tanks. After the overall analysis, the researchers have concluded that the net profit is playing an imperative role in optimizing the levelized cost of green hydrogen to be €2.25/kg. This analysis is providing the opportunity to the researchers to do techno-economic analysis of the hydrogen production and to utilize the produced hydrogen to facilitate green transportation thereby reducing the greenhouse gas emission. • Optimization of green hydrogen production in a combined hydroelectric-photovoltaic grid connected system. • Techno-economic analysis is performed through Homer-Pro. • Results proved that the NPC depends mainly on the cost of hydro turbines, power converters, PV panels, and electrolyzer. • The Levelized cost of green hydrogen is optimized to be 2.25 €/kg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]