Large scale hydrogen production from wind energy in the Magallanes area for consumption in the central zone of Chile

The energy proposal of this research suggests the use of places with abundant wind resources for the production of H(2) on a large scale to be transported and used in the central zone of Chile with the purpose of diversifying the country's energy matrix in order to decrease its dependence on fossil fuels, increase its autonomy, and cover the future increases in energy demand. This research showed that the load factor of the proposed wind park reaches a value of 54.5%, putting in evidence the excellent wind conditions of the zone. This implies that the cost of the electricity produced by the wind park located in the Chilean Patagonia would have a cost of 0.0213 US$ kWh(-1) in the year 2030. The low prices of the electricity obtained from the park, thanks to the economy of scale and the huge wind potential, represent a very attractive scenario for the production of H(2) in the future. The study concludes that by the year 2030 the cost of the H(2) generated in Magallanes and transported to the port of Quinteros would be 18.36 US$ MBTU(-1), while by that time the cost of oil would be about 17.241 US$ MBTU(-1), a situation that places H(2) in a very competitive position as a fuel. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.