Green Hydrogen as a Tool to Completely Decarbonize Off-Grid Amazonian Communities
Abstract
This paper explores the feasibility of utilizing green hydrogen (H2) for decarbonizing an isolated community in the Brazilian Amazon, focusing on the off-grid system of Oiapoque-AP. It assesses the optimal sizing of equipment required for this solution, considering the current energy supply that is given by a diesel plant and a PV system, as well as the planned addition of a hydroelectric plant. Findings indicate that a combination of lithium-ion batteries and green H2 fuel cell system is well-suited to comply with the short- and long-term storage needs to decarbonize the system. Simulations and sensitivity analysis determined the optimal sizing of components, including a PV system expansion of 25 MW, an electrolyzer of 3 MW and a tank of 2.5 M Nm3. A sensitivity analysis of electrolyzer and the additional PV system sizes revealed optimized combinations that can meet the H2 gas demand in the system. A system with additional 25 MWp in PV generation combined with a 3 MW. The study highlights the potential of H2 storage as a sustainable solution for off-grid communities and the results provide valuable insights into the integration of H2 technology and its advantages for decarbonization efforts in remote regions. The operational analysis shows the optimum sized electrolyzer operates on 51% of the year's days, with consistent hydrogen production from February to September. This suggests high component operation, which is important given its high system cost. For the studied community, a 4.2 MW fuel cell is projected to operate from September to January, indicating potential system inefficiency.
Keywords
Amazon region, Green hydrogen, Off-grid communities.