Water Electrolysis Technology Selection for Green Hydrogen Production in Coastal Isolated Area

Abstract

The concept of utilizing excess electricity from Renewable Energy (RE), coupled with green hydrogen fuel cells, offers an alternative sustainable model for RE power plants in isolated regions. The selection of the appropriate electrolyzer is a crucial step toward establishing an efficient and sustainable system. This study was designed to assess which electrolyzer holds the most promise within the system’s design. Alkaline Water Electrolysis (AWE), Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM), and Anion Exchange Membrane (AEM) were considered as alternatives. The selection process was carried out using the Multi Criteria Decision Making method, incorporating four main criteria: technical, economic, social, health-safety-environmental aspects, alongside ten sub-criteria that encompass factors such as maturity, reliability, robustness, efficiency, investment cost, community acceptance, availability of electrolyzer companies, environmental impact, risk of harm, and land requirements. The criteria-subcriteria weighting process was conducted using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Additionally, the ranking process employed three other methods: Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution, Simple Multi-Attribute Rating Technique, and Multi-Objective Optimization on the Basis of Ratio Analysis. In the final evaluation, considering the ranking based on both the baseline case and variations of weight in the range of 5-10%, it was consistently observed that PEM ranked highest.