U.S. demand for hydrogen is projected to increase severalfold by 2050, underscoring the need to invest in economically competitive technologies to produce this fuel. Current production pathways include thermochemical, electrolytic, direct solar water splitting and biological processes. These technologies are in various stages of maturity, complicating the ability to determine the most cost-efficient and environmentally sound options. A new tool has been developed at the U.S. National Renewable Laboratory to support such techno-economic analyses.

The Hydrogen Analysis Lite Production (H2A-Lite) model is an extension of the Hydrogen Analysis (H2A)Source: U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory production models and relevant case studies. Unlike H2A, the official U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) tool for performing in-depth techno-economic analysis of hydrogen production pathways, H2A-Lite offers a high-level techno-economic analysis with only a minimal number of inputs.

This could involve entering only a hydrogen production technology of choice and adapting technology default values to specific scales or regional energy prices. H2A-Lite evaluates these minimal inputs to produce estimates about scale, capital and operations, as well as greenhouse gas and criteria pollutant emissions characteristics. Price projections for energy and feedstock are based on current data published in the latest Annual Energy Outlook from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Watch the webinar above, recently hosted by DOE, for an overview and demonstration of H2A and the Hydrogen Financial Analysis Scenario Tool (H2FAST) developed to quickly generate an in-depth financial analysis for hydrogen and nonhydrogen systems and services.