Renewable electrolytic hydrogen potential in Algeria

The present paper deals with the assessment of the renewable hydrogen production potential in Algeria. The studied system produces hydrogen by electrolysis of water; electricity is supplied by a photovoltaic generator. Adequate mathematical models were used to calculate the electrolytic hydrogen production. Detailed hourly simulations were used to assess the potential for the entire country and to draw it maps. Throughout this study, the influence of the tilt angle of a photovoltaic generator has been investigated. It has been observed that the tilt angle has an impact on solar energy received by the photovoltaic generator, the produced solar electrical power and the rate of hydrogen production. We have calculated the optimal angles to maximize each element. We were particularly interested in the optimal angle to maximize hydrogen production. We found that the solar hydrogen potential for Algeria varies from 0.10 Nm(3)/m(2)/d to 0.14 Nm(3)/m(2)/d. This potential is quite significant, especially in the arid region of southeastern Algeria. The lowest potential is located in the northeast region. For stand-alone systems, it is important to assess the minimum available level, as their sizing takes into account the most unfavorable case. This level is between 0.07 Nm(3)/m(2)/d and 0.13 Nm(3)/m(2)/d. This shows that, even for a stand-alone system, the potential is quite high. Finally, we provide robust correlations that allow calculating the potential and the angle of inclination maximizing it for the whole of Algeria. (C) 2019 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.