Research

The imminent advent of large-scale green hydrogen production raises the central question of which of the two options, transporting green molecules, or transporting green electrons, is the most cost-effective one.

This project aims to answer this question by determining the optimal integrated transmission and storage infrastructure solution for large-scale production of green hydrogen. Towards this aim, the work proposes an investment and operational assessment framework of integrated electricity-gas-hydrogen production, transmission, and storage technologies. The framework will be supported, for quantitative studies, by a set of modelling tools based on a hybrid simulation and optimisation approach to find the optimal investment options of transporting energy as electricity and/or gas/hydrogen across different distances and renewable energy portfolios.

Project updates:

Future Fuels CRC has made the following project report open access:

Download report ‘Transport and Storage Options for Future Fuels: Hydrogen transport with linepack and underground storage’

This report introduces a mathematical optimisation framework for finding the optimal greenfield integrated planning of electricity and hydrogen transmission and storage infrastructure and outlines related model outputs for three case studies.

Outputs:

• Literature review on existing studies, methodologies and tools for integrated system analysis in Australia and worldwide
• Structured sets of information and data to simulate the predefined case studies and scenarios
• Methodology for assessing economic advantages and environmental impacts of the optimal infrastructure options
• Reports on case study applications, numerical results, discussions, and key recommendations
• Prototype tool for optimal integrated planning of electricity and hydrogen infrastructure.

Benefits to Industry:

• Costs and benefits of distributed electricity suppliers as opposed to distributed hydrogen suppliers.
• Quantitative understanding of the economies of scale of centralised versus distributed hydrogen production.
• Quantitative understanding of the potential role of the linepack in storing hydrogen as well as the benefits of battery storage and hydrogen storage on the energy supply portfolio.
• Benefit of localised hydrogen storage compared to hydrogen storage in pipelines (linepack).
• Impact of battery storage at REZ locations on electrolyser sizing and operation.

Dr Stephen McGrail

Email: stephenmcgrail@futurefuelscrc.com