Feasibility study of large scale hydrogen power-to-gas applications and cost of the systems evolving with scaling up in Germany, Belgium and Iceland

The use of hydrogen to store electricity is no longer utopian nor merely theoretical. Hydrogen applications such as Power-to-Gas systems are entering the market and some of them are ready to compete with other options in the near future. This means they have indeed a potential for profitability, especially if seen as large-scale storage solutions for the electricity surplus produced by variable renewable energy sources. In this study Power-to-Industry, Power-to-Mobility and Power-to-Power applications are chosen to be investigated and compared through levelized cost of hydrogen to identify the main cost drivers and consequently understand the possible solutions to reduce costs. The feasibility of the applications is discussed and analyzed in Germany, Belgium and Iceland, with mid and long-term perspectives, focusing the analysis on the advantage of scaling up. (C) 2018 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.