Techno-economic evaluation of hydrogen refuelling station with on-site electrolysis production powered by photovoltaic solar energy for the railway sector

Employing hydrogen-fueled vehicles is a promising solution to decarbonize transport and power sectors by 2050. The study undertook a comprehensive techno-economic assessment of an on-site solar electricity-driven hydrogen refuelling station (HRS) providing a daily 160.68 kg of green hydrogen fuel to a Spanish railway tram. Different case scenarios of HRS facilities addressing the final hydrogen cost after producing, compressing, storing, and dispensing are examined and compared. Each case configuration differs in terms of operating strategy, mix of energy sources, financial structure, capacity sizing, and economic benefits. A complete station components sizing approach is introduced demonstrating installing a 2.8 MWp solar plant and 0.515 MW PEM electrolyzer. The economic results of base case configuration revealed that for producing 879,723 kgH2 during a project life of 15 years, a capital investment of 4.08 M<euro> along with total expenses of 6.59 M<euro> required allowing to achieve an H2 cost of 7.49 <euro>/kg which can remarkably reduce to 2.27 <euro>/kg by considering excess energy sale revenue. Ultimately, the present research offers an adequate designing and sizing approach for renewable energy-fed stations for advancing railway energy infrastructure by executing techno-economical investigations. These findings help achieve carbon-neutral transportation and guide industry stakeholders, researchers, and governments to develop cutting-edge HRS systems cost-effectively.