Global optimization of capacity ratios between electrolyser and renewable electricity source to minimize levelized cost of green hydrogen
Friedrich Mendler, Joshua Fragoso García, Christoph Kleinschmitt, Christopher Voglstätter
Abstract
This paper presents a novel and effective approach for calculating Levelized Cost of Hydrogen production across the globe, without requiring timely resolved modelling or data. We select characteristic production patterns of photovoltaic and wind turbine power generation based on location qualities indicated by full load hours. These representative patterns are applied worldwide on similar locations to evaluate the proportion of electricity that electrolyzers can use if they have a smaller capacity than the renewable electricity source. Hence, the ratio of capacities is optimized to minimize hydrogen cost. The findings from various worldwide locations reveal that decreasing electrolyzer capacity is economically beneficial across all locations for boosting full load hours and curbing investments, particularly in locations with lower electricity generation. Validation using precise electricity production timeseries in specific locations revealed minimal errors in the methodology, though the quality of the results is impacted by the seasonality index differences between representative and exact location.