Techno-economic assessment of hydrogen refueling station with PV-assisted green hydrogen production: A case study for Osmaniye

Abstract

Hydrogen refueling stations (HRS) are of great importance for the widespread adoption of fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) in the automotive industry. These stations offer infrastructure support for safe and efficient hydrogen storage, transportation, and distribution. Such infrastructures are crucial in the transition to sustainable transportation systems. In this study, a techno-economic analysis was performed for HRS operating supported by photovoltaic panels (PVs), planned to be established in Osmaniye. The analysis of the HRS with a daily hydrogen generation capacity of 125 kg and the ability to refuel 25 FCVs was conducted using HOMER Pro (R) software. According to the optimization results, the PV-assisted energy production systems were found to be advantageous for hydrogen production. In the proposed system, a maximum of 484.183 kWh/year of electrical energy and 5657 kg/year of green hydrogen are produced under various scenarios. The HRS system had an initial investment cost of 0.737 M$, a net present cost (NPC) of 1.15 M$, and a levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of 0.482 $/kWh. This study can be utilized to assess the efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability of green hydrogen generation processes, thereby making it possible for green hydrogen to be produced on a large scale and become commercially viable.