Potential and Economic Viability of Green Hydrogen Production from Seawater Electrolysis Using Renewable Energy in Remote Japanese Islands

Abstract

Remote island power systems face high equipment costs when introducing renewable energy technologies. It’s crucial to lower input expenses. Electrolysis of seawater is a good option for islands with abundant seawater resources since the green hydrogen produced may be used to create power and excess green hydrogen and other chemical products can be sold to reduce costs. This study compares three cases. Case 1 mixes solar, wind, and batteries to satisfy load needs. Cases 2 and 3 are based on Case 1 and apply to seawater electrolysis plants. Case 2 does not account chemical product earnings, whereas Case 3 does. Total cost of the power system and CO2 total emissions were employed as optimization metrics, using k-means to simplify annual data and MILP to model optimal operation and capacity. Case 3 cuts costs by 31.9% and CO2 by 11.8% compared to Case 1. The initiative proposes manufacturing and selling green hydrogen on distant islands using seawater electrolysis to cut carbon emissions and costs.

Keywords: Seawater electrolysis, Renewable energy systems, k-means, Mixed Integer Linear Programming, Green hydrogen, Profit of chemical products