Techno-economic assessment of a green hydrogen production plant for a mining operation in Chile

IF 8.1 2区工程技术 Q1 CHEMISTRY, PHYSICAL International Journal of Hydrogen Energy Pub Date : 2025-03-04 DOI:10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.02.164

Antonio Sánchez-Squella , Mario Muñoz , Mario Toledo , Fernando Yanine

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Mining operations are the most important industrial activity in the northern regions of Chile with a high use of fossil fuels. This paper develops a techno-economic assessment of a green hydrogen complex designed to supply fuel to stationary diesel electric generators (small-scale project) and fuels cells trucks (medium-scale project) for a company dedicated to exploiting stone materials for the mining sector. The hydrogen complex consists of a photovoltaic plant, electrolyzers, hydrogen compressors and storage, considering geographical location, solar resource and company layout. The economic assessment considers the Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) and Levelized Cost of Hydrogen (LCOH), including investment and sensitivity analysis. For the small-scale project, a 60-kW photovoltaic plant installed in an area of 1000 m², with an investment of US$ 69,000, results in an average LCOH of 4.88 US$. However, the NPV is -$47,645 and the IRR is −22%, indicating that this project is not viable. For the medium-scale project, a 1700-kW photovoltaic plant installed in an area of 28,000 m², with an investment of US$ 2,100,000, results in an average LCOH of 4.62 US$. The results indicate feasibility, economic convenience, and scalability, marking this project as a precursor for future initiatives in the Chilean mining sector.

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来源期刊

International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 工程技术-环境科学

CiteScore

13.50

自引率

25.00%

发文量

3502

审稿时长

60 days

期刊介绍： The objective of the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy is to facilitate the exchange of new ideas, technological advancements, and research findings in the field of Hydrogen Energy among scientists and engineers worldwide. This journal showcases original research, both analytical and experimental, covering various aspects of Hydrogen Energy. These include production, storage, transmission, utilization, enabling technologies, environmental impact, economic considerations, and global perspectives on hydrogen and its carriers such as NH3, CH4, alcohols, etc. The utilization aspect encompasses various methods such as thermochemical (combustion), photochemical, electrochemical (fuel cells), and nuclear conversion of hydrogen, hydrogen isotopes, and hydrogen carriers into thermal, mechanical, and electrical energies. The applications of these energies can be found in transportation (including aerospace), industrial, commercial, and residential sectors.