Presenter(s)

Anup Paudel

Comments

3:00-4:15, Kennedy Union Ballroom

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Description

This study presents an optimization framework for designing a renewable hydrogen production system to meet the annual thermal energy demand of US small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs). The proposed system integrates solar photovoltaics, battery storage, and an electrolyser and the use of a mixed-integer linear programming model to determine the optimal sizing of components to minimize system cost while satisfying hydrogen demand under varying natural gas replacement scenarios. The optimization results indicate that increased PV and battery capacities are required for higher shares of hydrogen, while the size of the electrolyser remains constant within each industry. The economic analysis shows a significant cost escalation at higher hydrogen shares, with photovoltaics contributing more than half of the net present cost. Evaluation of carbon pricing indicates that while it could theoretically make this system economically competitive, the required carbon price to make hydrogen viable against natural gas would be prohibitively high, rendering the approach economically infeasible in practice. The study thus recommends the use of targeted incentives for renewable components and renewable grid integration to meet the challenges of transitioning SMMs to hydrogen and accelerate industrial decarbonization.

Publication Date

4-23-2025

Project Designation

Graduate Research

Primary Advisor

Jun-Ki Choi

Primary Advisor's Department

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Keywords

Stander Symposium, School of Engineering

Institutional Learning Goals

Scholarship; Scholarship; Scholarship

Techno-economic pathway for green hydrogen adoption in thermal applications across US small and medium manufacturing sectors

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