Optimal design of a hydrogen value chain

Renewable hydrogen has been widely debated as a vital energy carrier for mitigating climate change. It offers various options for production methods, as well as numerous existing and potential uses. The aim of this project is to create an optimization model for the expansion and operation of the hydrogen infrastructure, with the goal of promoting hydrogen markets. The established model is universally applicable. This comprehensive approach encompasses the entire hydrogen value chain, starting from the production of H2 through processes such as water electrolysis and steam reform, with or without carbon capture. It extends to transmitting H2 to customers, either through road transportation or pipelines. The model will be formulated in GAMS, a programming language that utilizes Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MIP). The primary goal of the objective function is to reduce the overall cost associated with the supply of hydrogen. This purpose is achieved by taking into account several factors, such as demand, limitations on CO2 emissions, availability of resources, and the energy and mass balances of different technologies. The model is discretized on an hourly basis and incorporates choices for hydrogen storage, power storage, grid electricity utilization, as well as the integration of many complementary resources and production technologies.