Avaliação técnico-financeira de produção de hidrogênio a partir de planta eólica e solar fotovoltaica usando correlação temporal horária

Abstract

Faced with rising average global temperatures, extreme weather events and their consequences, 196 countries signed the Paris Agreement in 2015, committing themselves to mitigating their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, driving the energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable energies. Hydrogen as an energy vector is proving to be a key element in this transition, and can be used in "hard-to-abate sectors", such as aviation, marine transport and some industrial processes such as the production of ammonia and iron. However, processes must be employed to obtain the H2 molecule, as it is found in nature associated with other elements. The route capable of producing hydrogen with zero GHG emissions is the electrolysis of water, for which the electricity for the process comes from renewable sources. All production routes result in the same end product, which highlights the need for certification of renewable hydrogen, a document that validates and guarantees H2 production standards. In Brazil, the Câmara de Comercialização de Energia Elétrica (CCEE) began issuing hydrogen certificates in November 2023, based on a monthly or quarterly analysis of the balance between the amount of renewable energy generated and the electricity consumed by the electrolyzer. In the context of the European Union, a possible buyer market for Brazilian hydrogen, the time correlation analyzed is monthly and will become hourly in 2030, which will have an impact on Brazil’s certification process. The aim of this study is therefore to certify and determine the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) for a fictitious plant with 100 MW of installed capacity on an hourly basis, whose long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for the electrolysis process is signed with two associated renewable power plants: a wind power plant with 210 MW of installed capacity and a solar photovoltaic plant with 120 MW of installed capacity. The energy generation data was obtained from the website of the Operador Nacional do Sistema (ONS), and the costs involved for the H2 production plant were taken from secondary sources. The work concludes that, for an alkaline electrolyzer, the LCOH is 5.29 US$/kg and for a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) type electrolyzer, the cost is 5.92 US$/kg. In addition, around 80% of the H2 is certified as 100% from a renewable source in the hourly time correlation, while all the hydrogen falls into this classification in the monthly time correlation, considering an electrolyzer utilization factor of 95%.