The integration of wind and solar power to water electrolyzer for green hydrogen production

Green H2 (GH) has emerged as a highly promising medium for the transportation of eco-friendly energy. The utilization of H2 as the primary operational medium in H2-based energy storage systems and fuel cells has facilitated the integration of these systems with various other renewable energy sources, rendering such integration highly viable. This review presents an overview of the current advancements in the field of GH production techniques using water electrolyzers powered by renewable energy sources. The present paper starts with a concise overview of several production techniques and a detailed analysis of various types of water electrolyzer. It also offers a thorough examination of H2 production methods utilizing solar, wind, and hybrid systems. An economic evaluation of GH production was analyzed by comparing the costs associated with different renewable sources. This study focuses on investigating the challenges and advantages of GH and the implementation of large-scale commercial operations. The proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer (PEMWE) technologies boast higher current densities (1-2Acm−2) than alkaline water electrolyzer (AWE); the PEMWE technologies also produce a higher purity of H2 up to 99.9999 %. The wind energy-associated PEM LCOH ranges from 5.3 to 9.29 $/kg. AWE had levelized cost of H2 (LCOH) of 7.49–7.59 $/kg. Other studies show that SOE-based LCOH ranges from 6 to 9.34 $/kg and should drop to 1.9 $/kg by 2050. The cost of GH was found to be significantly influenced by the rated wind speed compared to other wind turbine parameters, and it ranged from $1.7/kg to $40.00/kg.