Methods identifying cost reduction potential for water electrolysis systems

Badgett, Alex; Ruth, Mark; James, Brian D.; Pivovar, Bryan S.

doi:10.1016/j.coche.2021.100714

Cited by 30 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Given that airline net pro ts in 2019 were about $3.3 per thousand passenger-kilometer 37,94 and fuel costs represent between 20-30% of airlines' operating costs 35 , the high current costs of SAFs (2-4 times higher than fossil jet fuel) 95,96 may not be feasible. Projected decreases in the costs of electrolytic hydrogen 84,85,97,98 and captured carbon 99,100 would make synthetic fuels more affordable, and higher conversion e ciencies and lower feedstock costs would help FT and HEFA biofuels. Such improvements may be induced via speci c policy incentives such as low carbon fuel standards 69,70 , though HEFA feedstock costs have been quite volatile in recent years 101,102 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Net-zero emissions aviation

Bergero

Gosnell

Gielen³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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International climate goals imply reaching net-zero global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by roughly mid-century. Among the most difficult emissions to avoid will be those from modern aviation given the industry’s need for energy-dense liquid fuels and the lack of commercially competitive substitutes. Here, we systematically assess pathways to net-zero emissions aviation, exploring the potential contribution of different approaches as well as their social, technical, and economic limits. We find that ambitious reductions in demand for air transport and improvements in the energy efficiency of aircraft might avoid up to 62% and 26%, respectively, of projected business-as-usual aviation emissions in 2050. However, further reductions will depend on replacing fossil jet fuel with very large quantities of net-zero emissions biofuels or synthetic fuels (2.5-21 EJ)—which are currently much more expensive. Our results may inform investments and priorities for innovation by highlighting plausible pathways to net-zero emissions aviation, including the relative potential and trade-offs of changes in behavior, technology, and energy sources.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Net-zero emissions aviation

Bergero

Gosnell

Gielen³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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“…The calculations can be validated by adding the global adjustment to the average HOEP over the same period, which produces an average H 2 cost of $6.35/kg, marginally higher than the expected range of $5-6/kg H 2 . [36] Figure 7 shows the expected dominance of capital costs at low capacity factors followed by a more gradual decline and finally an increase as high HOEP prices dominate. For example, 2014 had a minimum H 2 price of $1.83/kg operating for 5365 h using an average HOEP of $11.0/MWh and a threshold price of $28.2/MWh.…”

Section: Electricity Demand and Large Scale H 2 Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

CO₂ utilization in Eastern Canada: Sources, sites, and grid effects

Breuvart

Zeman

2022

Can J Chem Eng

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Achieving net zero carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions will require the cessation of fossil fuel emissions into the atmosphere, yet the need for ‘fuel’ and energy storage will remain. One solution could be a carbon‐based fuel system where CO2 of biogenic origin is converted to fuels using hydrogen generated by electrolysis powered by renewable energy sources. Methane has value as an initial target given its prevalence in biogas, use in home heating and in electricity generation. Sources of CO2 in Eastern Canada are dominated by the iron and steel, cement, and aluminium industries, all of which have biogenic fuel options. Collecting all of the potentially biogenic CO2 would displace 75% of current natural gas use and require a 50% increase in generating capacity. Initial efforts could site a carbon capture, utilization, and storage facility near Montreal, QC, with other large‐scale facilities near Hamilton, ON, and Lac St‐Jean, QC. These facilities would be grid connected and expected to operate ~6200 h annually. The most high‐frequency electrolysis events would be 10 h of run time and 2 h of idle time. These periods would peak during the equinox months and be at a minimum during the winter solstice. These operational assumptions will all be subject to the increased variability caused by anthropogenic climate change and increased renewable generation on the grid. A closed‐loop carbon‐based fuel system would require an equivalent price of $250 per tonne CO2.

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“… 53 PEM electrolyzers and fuel cells also rely upon scarce materials for precious metal electrocatalysts and advanced materials for membranes. 54 Employing short-term battery storage to supply stable electricity to electrolyzers could enable other electrolyzer types that do not require precious metal electrocatalysts to be employed for hydrogen production, including alkaline water electrolysis, high-temperature solid oxide water electrolysis, and anion exchange membrane water electrolysis. For example, anion exchange membrane water electrolyzers have the combined benefits of the versatility and high performance of PEM electrolyzers (i.e., operation at higher current density due to the lower ohmic resistance and improved safety with a nonporous polymeric membrane) and the low cost of alkaline water electrolyzers, but significant research and development is needed before anion exchange membrane electrolysis can be commercialized.…”

Section: Challenges and Opportunitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Growing renewable energy storage needs may be challenging to meet using batteries alone due to limited materials availability, battery lifetime limitations, and recyclability challenges . PEM electrolyzers and fuel cells also rely upon scarce materials for precious metal electrocatalysts and advanced materials for membranes . Employing short-term battery storage to supply stable electricity to electrolyzers could enable other electrolyzer types that do not require precious metal electrocatalysts to be employed for hydrogen production, including alkaline water electrolysis, high-temperature solid oxide water electrolysis, and anion exchange membrane water electrolysis.…”

Section: Challenges and Opportunitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mining Nontraditional Water Sources for a Distributed Hydrogen Economy

Winter

Cooper

Lee

et al. 2022

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Securing decarbonized economies for energy and commodities will require abundant and widely available green H 2 . Ubiquitous wastewaters and nontraditional water sources could potentially feed water electrolyzers to produce this green hydrogen without competing with drinking water sources. Herein, we show that the energy and costs of treating nontraditional water sources such as municipal wastewater, industrial and resource extraction wastewater, and seawater are negligible with respect to those for water electrolysis. We also illustrate that the potential hydrogen energy that could be mined from these sources is vast. Based on these findings, we evaluate the implications of small-scale, distributed water electrolysis using disperse nontraditional water sources. Techno-economic analysis and life cycle analysis reveal that the significant contribution of H 2 transportation to costs and CO 2 emissions results in an optimal levelized cost of hydrogen at small- to moderate-scale water electrolyzer size. The implications of utilizing nontraditional water sources and decentralized or stranded renewable energy for distributed water electrolysis are highlighted for several hydrogen energy storage and chemical feedstock applications. Finally, we discuss challenges and opportunities for mining H 2 from nontraditional water sources to achieve resilient and sustainable economies for water and energy.

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Methods identifying cost reduction potential for water electrolysis systems

Cited by 30 publications

References 24 publications

Net-zero emissions aviation

Net-zero emissions aviation

CO₂ utilization in Eastern Canada: Sources, sites, and grid effects

Mining Nontraditional Water Sources for a Distributed Hydrogen Economy

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Methods identifying cost reduction potential for water electrolysis systems

Cited by 30 publications

References 24 publications

Net-zero emissions aviation

Net-zero emissions aviation

CO2 utilization in Eastern Canada: Sources, sites, and grid effects

Mining Nontraditional Water Sources for a Distributed Hydrogen Economy

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

CO₂ utilization in Eastern Canada: Sources, sites, and grid effects