A perspective on three sustainable hydrogen production technologies with a focus on technology readiness level, cost of production and life cycle environmental impacts
Yunfei Li,
Richen Lin,
Richard O'Shea,
Vaishali Thaore,
David Wall,
Jerry D. Murphy
Affiliations
Yunfei Li
MaREI Centre for Energy Climate and Marine, Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Cork, T23 XE10, Ireland; Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering and Architecture, University College Cork, Cork, T12 YN60, Ireland
Richen Lin
Key Laboratory of Energy Thermal Conversion and Control of Ministry of Education, School of Energy and Environment, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China; Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering and Architecture, University College Cork, Cork, T12 YN60, Ireland; Corresponding author. Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China.
Richard O'Shea
MaREI Centre for Energy Climate and Marine, Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Cork, T23 XE10, Ireland; Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering and Architecture, University College Cork, Cork, T12 YN60, Ireland; Corresponding author. University College Cork, Cork T23 XE10, Ireland.
Vaishali Thaore
MaREI Centre for Energy Climate and Marine, Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Cork, T23 XE10, Ireland; Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering and Architecture, University College Cork, Cork, T12 YN60, Ireland
David Wall
MaREI Centre for Energy Climate and Marine, Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Cork, T23 XE10, Ireland; Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering and Architecture, University College Cork, Cork, T12 YN60, Ireland
Jerry D. Murphy
MaREI Centre for Energy Climate and Marine, Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Cork, T23 XE10, Ireland; Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering and Architecture, University College Cork, Cork, T12 YN60, Ireland
Hydrogen will play an indispensable role as both an energy vector and as a molecule in essential products in the transition to climate neutrality. However, the optimal sustainable hydrogen production system is not definitive due to challenges in energy conversion efficiency, economic cost, and associated marginal abatement cost. This review summarises and contrasts different sustainable hydrogen production technologies including for their development, potential for improvement, barriers to large-scale industrial application, capital and operating cost, and life-cycle environmental impact. Polymer electrolyte membrane water electrolysis technology shows significant potential for large-scale application in the near-term, with a higher technology readiness level (expected to be 9 by 2030) and a levelized cost of hydrogen expected to be 4.15–6 €/kg H2 in 2030; this equates to a 50% decrease as compared to 2020. The four-step copper-chlorine (Cu–Cl) water thermochemical cycle can perform better in terms of life cycle environmental impact than the three- and five-step Cu–Cl cycle, however, due to system complexity and high capital expenditure, the thermochemical cycle is more suitable for long-term application should the technology develop. Biological conversion technologies (such as photo/dark fermentation) are at a lower technology readiness level, and the system efficiency of some of these pathways such as biophotolysis is low (less than 10%). Biomass gasification may be a more mature technology than some biological conversion pathways owing to its higher system efficiency (40%–50%). Biological conversion systems also have higher costs and as such require significant development to be comparable to hydrogen produced via electrolysis.
