Optimal renewable energy export strategies of islands: Hydrogen or electricity?

Renewable energy has the characteristics of wide distribution, sustainable use and low impact on the environment, which is suitable for application and promotion in the island area. Given the concerns about wind and PV curtailment of energy-rich islands, it is potentially a good idea to export extra renewable energy to the mainland. The aim of this paper is to investigate the economic viability of transforming renewable energy into exportable electricity or hydrogen. A comprehensive renewable energy system model is developed based on the P-graph to simulate an energy system, which integrates electricity, heat and hydrogen on a virtual island. Solar, wind, wave and biomass are the main renewable energy sources in the developed energy system. The objective includes the construction cost, operating cost, and also environmental cost, which is related to the greenhouse gas footprint. Findings from the case study show that extra renewable energy exporting by electricity is cheaper than using hydrogen for the studied island, and the optimal dispatch structure can deliver 51 GWh of electricity annually for 292 M CNY (about 42 M EUR). A sensitivity analysis of export prices and renewable energy uncertainty verifies the economics of electricity export.

Automated summary

This paper investigates the economic viability of transforming renewable energy into exportable electricity or hydrogen. A comprehensive renewable energy system model is developed based on the P-graph to simulate an energy system that integrates electricity, heat, and hydrogen on a virtual island. Findings from the case study show that exporting extra renewable energy by electricity is cheaper than using hydrogen for the studied island, and the optimal dispatch structure can deliver 51 GWh of electricity annually for 292 M CNY (about 42 M EUR). A sensitivity analysis of export prices and renewable energy uncertainty verifies the economics of electricity export.