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AbstractHydrogen will play a key role in decarbonizing economies. Here, we quantify the costs and environmental impacts of possible large-scale hydrogen economies, using four prospective hydrogen demand scenarios for 2050 ranging from 111–614 megatonne H2 year−1. Our findings confirm that renewable (solar photovoltaic and wind) electrolytic hydrogen production generates at least 50–90% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than fossil-fuel-based counterparts without carbon capture and storage. However, electrolytic hydrogen production could still result in considerable environmental burdens, which requires reassessing the concept of green hydrogen. Our global analysis highlights a few salient points: (i) a mismatch between economical hydrogen production and hydrogen demand across continents seems likely; (ii) region-specific limitations are inevitable since possibly more than 60% of large hydrogen production potentials are concentrated in water-scarce regions; and (iii) upscaling electrolytic hydrogen production could be limited by renewable power generation and natural resource potentials.

After unpacking the ZIP file, this repository contains the following files: results_lcoh_ecoinvent_391_reference.tif: grid-specific hydrogen production cost (euro/kg H2) for the reference scenario. results_lcoh_SSP2-Base_2050_base.tif: grid-specific hydrogen production cost (euro/kg H2) for the baseline scenario in 2050. results_lcoh_SSP2-PkBudg1150_2050_base.tif: grid-specific hydrogen production cost (euro/kg H2) for the 2°C scenario in 2050. results_lcoh_SSP2-PkBudg500_2050_base.tif: grid-specific hydrogen production cost (euro/kg H2) for the 1.5°C scenario in 2050. results_ghg_kg_h2_ecoinvent_391_reference.tif: grid-specific GHG emissions (kg CO2-eq./kg H2) from hydrogen production for the reference scenario. results_ghg_kg_h2_SSP2-Base_2050_base.tif: grid-specific GHG emissions (kg CO2-eq./kg H2) from hydrogen production for the baseline scenario in 2050. results_ghg_kg_h2_SSP2-PkBudg1150_2050_base.tif: grid-specific GHG emissions (kg CO2-eq./kg H2) from hydrogen production for the 2°C scenario in 2050. results_ghg_kg_h2_SSP2-PkBudg500_2050_base.tif: grid-specific GHG emissions (kg CO2-eq./kg H2) from hydrogen production for the 1.5°C scenario in 2050. main_gen_figures.ipynb: Jupyter Notebook script used to generate the main figures of the manuscript.

Designing decentralized energy systems in an optimal way can substantially reduce costs and environmental burdens. However, most models for the optimal design of multi-energy systems (MESs) exclude a comprehensive environmental assessment and consider limited technology options for relevant energy-intensive sectors, such as the industrial and mobility sectors. This paper presents a multi-objective optimization framework for designing MESs, which includes life cycle environmental burdens and considers a wide portfolio of technology options for residential, mobility, and industrial sectors. The optimization problem is formulated as a mixed integer linear program that minimizes costs and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while meeting the energy demands of given end-users. Whereas our MESs optimization framework can be applied for a large range of boundary conditions, the geographical island Eigerøy (Norway) is used as a showcase as it includes substantial industrial activities. Results demonstrate that, when properly designed, MESs are already cost-competitive with incumbent energy systems, and significant reductions in the amount of natural gas (92%) and GHG emissions (73%) can be obtained with a marginal cost increase (18%). Stricter decarbonization targets incur larger costs. A broad portfolio of technologies is deployed when minimizing GHG emissions and integrating the industrial sector. Environmental trade-offs are identified when considering the construction phase of energy technologies. Therefore, we argue that (i) MES designs and assessments require a thorough life cycle assessment beyond GHG emissions, and (ii) the entire life cycle should be considered when designing MESs, with the construction phase contributing up to 80% of specific environmental impact categories. Applied Energy, 347 ISSN:0306-2619 ISSN:1872-9118