Micro-grid design and life-cycle assessment of a mountain hut's stand-alone energy system with hydrogen used for seasonal storage

Mori, Mitja; Gutiérrez, Manuel; Casero, Pedro

doi:10.1016/j.ijhydene.2020.11.155

Cited by 31 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…The EF method was applied to assess GWP, HTP, POCP, ODP, WD, and FD. Other than these impact categories, other midpoints were investigated in several of the reviewed studies, including marine ecotoxicity (METP), freshwater ecotoxicity (FETP), terrestrial ecotoxicity (TETP), terrestrial acidification (TAP), freshwater eutrophication (FEP), marine eutrophication (MEP) (Stropnik et al, 2018;Di Florio et al, 2021;Mori et al, 2021), ionizing radiation (Di Florio et al, 2021;Mori et al, 2021), fossil resources scarcity, mineral resource scarcity, water consumption (Di Florio et al, 2021, urban air pollution (Shimizu et al, 2020, land use (Valente et al, 2015;Di Florio et al, 2021), and energy use (Strazza et al, 2010;Valente et al, 2015;Di Florio et al, 2021). Two authors applied the CED method to evaluate energy use over the life cycle of the system under study (Valente et al, 2015;Di Florio et al, 2021).…”

Section: Life-cycle Impact Assessment Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tri-generation is an application of co-generation that combines a primary mover with thermally driven equipment to generate cooling (Yue et al, 2021). In this review, some LCAs considered hydrogen as energy storage, including backup power (Sevencan and Çiftcioglu, 2013;Mori et al, 2014;Stropnik et al, 2018), power generation for the electrical grid (Lunghi et al, 2004;Khan et al, 2005;Oliveira et al, 2015;Valente et al, 2015;Walker et al, 2017;Ozawa et al, 2019;Zhang et al, 2021), decentralized power generation (Suwanmanee et al, 2018), power generation for a microgrid (Spitzley et al, 2007;Mori et al, 2021), power generation for nano-grid (Rossi et al, 2020;Di Florio et al, 2021), and auxiliary power (Strazza et al, 2010). Four studies provided LCAs of hydrogen for co-generation (Melamu and von Blottnitz, 2009;Di Marcoberardino et al, 2018;Bicer and Khalid, 2020;Shimizu et al, 2020), but only one study addressed the application of tri-generation systems (Peppas et al, 2021).…”

Section: Hydrogen-based Power Generation Conversion Technologies and ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Life-cycle assessment of hydrogen utilization in power generation: A systematic review of technological and methodological choices

et al. 2022

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Interest in reducing the greenhouse gas emissions from conventional power generation has increased the focus on the potential use of hydrogen to produce electricity. Numerous life-cycle assessment (LCA) studies of hydrogen-based power generation have been published. This study reviews the technological and methodological choices made in hydrogen-based power generation LCAs. A systematic review was chosen as the research method to achieve a comprehensive and minimally biased overview of hydrogen-based power generation LCAs. Relevant articles published between 2004 and 2021 were identified by searching the Scopus and Web of Science databases. Electrolysis from renewable energy resources was the most widely considered type of hydrogen production in the LCAs analyzed. Fuel cell technology was the most common conversion equipment used in hydrogen-based electricity LCAs. A significant number of scenarios examine the use of hydrogen for energy storage and co-generation purposes. Based on qualitative analysis, the methodological choices of LCAs vary between studies in terms of the functional units, allocations, system boundaries, and life-cycle impact assessment methods chosen. These discrepancies were likely to influence the value of the environmental impact results. The findings of the reviewed LCAs could provide an environmental profile of hydrogen-based electricity systems, identify hotspots, drive future research, define performance goals, and establish a baseline for their large-scale deployment.

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Section: Life-cycle Impact Assessment Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Hydrogen-based Power Generation Conversion Technologies and ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Life-cycle assessment of hydrogen utilization in power generation: A systematic review of technological and methodological choices

et al. 2022

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“…The daily peak consumptions were calculated as the average of the three highest loads of each day in order to avoid exceptionally high values. The normalized load (W n (h,d), where h represents the hours in a day and d the days in a year) can be calculated from the measured load (W(h,d)), as presented in Equation (1).…”

Section: Input Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Stand-alone micro-grid systems have been widely studied, discussed, demonstrated and even tested in residential applications, but they are rarely discussed and applied to mountain huts (MHs). MHs have a specific energy demand that provides suitable living and working conditions for the staff as well as comfort for the visitors [1]. To generate sufficient electrical energy throughout the days, weeks, months and years, MH micro-grid systems in the past relied mostly on fossil-fuel-based technologies that are easy to operate are affordable [2,3], but these are far from optimal when considering the environmental impacts and target emissions such as NOx or particles [4,5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It was shown by Mori et al. that 1 kWh of electricity generated from small gen-sets has a carbon footprint of approximately 920 g CO 2 eq./kWh, compared to the carbon footprint of micro-hydro with just 4 g CO 2 eq./kWh, micro-wind with 40 g CO 2 eq./kWh or PVs on a slanted roof with 220 g of CO 2 eq./kWh [1]. However, we must be aware that the carbon footprint is a global indicator, and, in natural habitats, more indicators have to be observed since environmental impacts on local and regional scales are of great importance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Modelling and Environmental Assessment of a Stand-Alone Micro-Grid System in a Mountain Hut Using Renewables

et al. 2021

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Mountain huts are stand-alone micro-grid systems that are not connected to a power grid. However, they impact the environment by generating electricity and through day-to-day operations. The installed generator needs to be flexible to cover fluctuations in the energy demand. Replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy sources presents a challenge when it comes to balancing electricity generation and consumption. This paper presents an integration-and-optimization process for renewable energy sources in a mountain hut’s electricity generation system combined with a lifecycle assessment. A custom computational model was developed, validated with experimental data and integrated into a TRNSYS model. Five different electricity generation topologies were modelled to find the best configuration that matches the dynamics and meets the cumulative electricity demand. A lifecycle assessment methodology was used to evaluate the environmental impacts of all the topologies for one typical operating year. The carbon footprint could be reduced by 34% in the case of the actually implemented system upgrade, and by up to 47% in the case of 100% renewable electricity generation. An investment cost analysis shows that improving the battery charging strategy has a minor effect on the payback time, but it can significantly reduce the environmental impacts.

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Life cycle assessment of hydrogen production, storage, and utilization toward sustainability

Osman,

Nasr,

Mohamed

et al. 2024

WIREs Energy & Environment

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In the pursuit of sustainable energy solutions, hydrogen emerges as a promising candidate for decarbonization. The United States has the potential to sell wind energy at a record‐low price of 2.5 cents/kWh, making hydrogen production electricity up to four times cheaper than natural gas. Hydrogen's appeal stems from its highly exothermic reaction with oxygen, producing only water as a byproduct. With an energy content equivalent to 2.4 kg of methane or 2.8 kg of gasoline per kilogram, hydrogen boasts a superior energy‐to‐weight ratio compared to fossil fuels. However, its energy‐to‐volume ratio, exemplified by liquid hydrogen's 8.5 MJ.L−1 versus gasoline's 32.6 MJ.L−1, presents a challenge, requiring a larger volume for equivalent energy. In addition, this review employs life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate hydrogen's full life cycle, including production, storage, and utilization. Through an examination of LCA methodologies and principles, the review underscores its importance in measuring hydrogen's environmental sustainability and energy consumption. Key findings reveal diverse hydrogen production pathways, such as blue, green, and purple hydrogen, offering a nuanced understanding of their life cycle inventories. The impact assessment of hydrogen production is explored, supported by case studies illustrating environmental implications. Comparative LCA analysis across different pathways provides crucial insights for decision‐making, shaping environmental and sustainability considerations. Ultimately, the review emphasizes LCA's pivotal role in guiding the hydrogen economy toward a low‐carbon future, positioning hydrogen as a versatile energy carrier with significant potential.This article is categorized under: Emerging Technologies > Hydrogen and Fuel Cells

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Micro-grid design and life-cycle assessment of a mountain hut's stand-alone energy system with hydrogen used for seasonal storage

Cited by 31 publications

References 36 publications

Life-cycle assessment of hydrogen utilization in power generation: A systematic review of technological and methodological choices

Life-cycle assessment of hydrogen utilization in power generation: A systematic review of technological and methodological choices

Modelling and Environmental Assessment of a Stand-Alone Micro-Grid System in a Mountain Hut Using Renewables

Life cycle assessment of hydrogen production, storage, and utilization toward sustainability

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