Environmental and economic tradeoffs of green hydrogen production via water electrolysis with a focus on carbon mitigation: A provincial level study in China

Clean (green) hydrogen can be generated via water electrolysis using photovoltaic, wind, hydropower, or decarbonized grid electricity. However, there is a lack of environmental and economic trade-offs for alternative production in the low-carbon transition. This study presents an assessment framework for analyzing the environmental-economic tradeoff indicators of replacing traditional hydrogen production pathways with green alternatives, with an illustrative example drawn from the baseline scenario in which green hydrogen replaces coal for hydrogen production in China. The production system for green hydrogen in China will be competitive with traditional methods by 2030, leading to a significant transition. The priority order of the renewable energy technology portfolio for hydrogen production via water electrolysis is PV-ALK > WP-ALK > WP-PEM > PV-PEM. Regions with high trade-off indicators have the comprehensive benefit of promoting green hydrogen substitution, and Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei, and Xinjiang have lower decarbonization costs and can obtain better abatement benefits. The system of trade-off indicators from the perspective of emission reduction can guide the selection of green hydrogen production technologies and project planning and will be further improved.