Abstract

Hydrogen and freshwater production can be achieved through microgrids by integrating power generation, electrolyzer, and water purification technologies. An evaluation of a microgrid is conducted to produce hydrogen and freshwater utilizing internal combustion engines (ICE), micro gas turbines (MGT), photovoltaic solar energy (PV), electrolyzers (proton exchange membrane electrolyzer - PEM, and alkaline water electrolysis - AWE), and reverse osmosis (RO), in regions with limited freshwater resources and high solar irradiation. The methodology involves modelling and assessing the systems connected to the microgrid to determine hourly production, the levelized costs of electricity (LCOE), hydrogen (LCOH), and water (LCOW) across different configurations and zones, and the environmental impact of this integrated system. A sensitivity analysis is performed on the key variables such as investment costs and fuel prices. The results indicate that microgrids offer significant potential for enhancing energy and water sustainability, providing a viable solution for regions with abundant solar energy but scarce freshwater resources. The optimal configuration includes an ICE, PV, RO, and AWE system, yielding levelized costs of 184.9 USD/MWh, 9.71 USD/kg H2, and 1.68 USD/m H2O in Pisagua. In contrast, a PV, RO, and AWE system achieves significantly lower costs of 60.9 USD/MWh, 5.1 USD/kg H2, and 0.98 USD/m H2O at the same location. This integrated approach optimally balances energy production, water desalination, and cost-effectiveness, offering a resilient and sustainable solution for remote and arid regions. Further research is recommended to address scalability challenges and improve system resilience under varying environmental conditions. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.