Sustainability assessment of blue hydrogen production through biomass gasification : a comparative analysis of thermal, solar, and wind energy sources

Abstract

This study evaluated three blue hydrogen production processes − solar-grid powered, wind-powered, and thermal power grid (TPG) − considering the context of Hong Kong, SAR, China. A process sustainability analysis was performed based on energy, economic, and environmental (3E) factors. The energy efficiency analysis indicates that the TPG system is the most energy-efficient with 64% efficiency, followed by the wind power system at 63% and the hybrid solar-grid powered system at 60%. The economic analysis results indicate that the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCH) is 2.165 $/kg for the TPG system, 2.132 $/kg for the hybrid solar-grid powered system, and 2.060 $/kg for the wind power system. The environmental assessment suggests that wind powered are eco-friendly with a unit point total (µPt) of 1.11, compared to the solar-grid 1.50 µPt and TPG system's 1.70 µPt. Therefore, 3E analysis proposes wind powered process is more sustainable for blue H<inf>2</inf> production.