Hydrogen strategy between North Africa and Europe

As is widely known, hydrogen as a carrier or storage medium for energy is gaining popularity because its combustion does not contribute to CO2 emissions. With that being said, in this thesis, I have analyzed the hydrogen production methods and possible transportation mechanisms along with their economic and energy consumption implications. Hydrogen is produced by gaining solar energy from PV panels in Tamanrasset, Algeria (case study), with 13.5 MW peak power and annual proposed hydrogen production of 500 tons. In my simulation, I used one electrolyzer (assumed Alkaline) with a peak power of 1MW and annual production of 55.65 metric tons, hence nine units for the annual requirement. For hydrogen transportation, three methods are analyzed here: pipeline, ammonia, and Toluene as a hydrogen carrier (see the case study and proposed methodologies in section ‎3.2.1). Results (see chapter 4) indicate that solar power in North Africa, with its higher insolation rates than Europe (summarized in Figure 18), presents a cost-effective means of producing green hydrogen (summarized in Figure 19). The transportation of hydrogen via pipeline and ammonia (47.5 % and average 47%, respectively) is viable and more enegy efficient than that of toluene (average 17%), remembering the high sensitivity to the site of the hydrogen production. This is because road transport consumes signicant energy for the liquid carriers (ammonia and toluene). In the case of economic assessment, the pipeline has the upper hand over the other two, with approximate cost of 0.35 M€, and ammonia transportation is the costliest (average 9 M€). Finally, this paper concludes by recommending the advancement of concentrated solar power (CSP) for electricity production, as it significantly improves the capacity factor, urges policy commitments from both regions and boosts research and development to reduce costs components. Keywords: Hydrogen Energy, Green Hydrogen Production, Solar Power, North Africa, Europe, Energy Storage, Energy Transportation, Energy Economics, Hydrogen Transport, Environmental Impact, Sustainable Energy