Sustainability assessment of hydrogen production based on nuclear energy

Hydrogen is expected to be a key energy carrier in the global energy transition. A promising method of hydrogen production is water electrolysis powered by nuclear energy. This energy source can also be used in other hydrogen production technologies, such as copperchlorine cycle. Proper comparison of various hydrogen production methods from the sustainability perspective requires the use of analysis in a global balance boundary. The paper presents a comparison of sustainability of various hydrogen generation methods, with emphasis on the methods exploiting nuclear energy. Instead of local energy efficiency, the index of Thermo-Ecological Cost (TEC) is proposed. TEC is a measure of the depletion of non-renewable resources burdening the production of a given product. Other criteria used in the assessment are: availability of energy supply (capacity factor), cumulative greenhouse gas emissions and resources to production ratio. In addition, water electrolysis and copper-chlorine cycle have been considered cogeneration processes, providing oxygen as a useful by-product. Taking into account all the criteria suggests that obtaining hydrogen with the use of nuclear technologies will provide a fair, long-term compromise compared to other hydrogen generation technologies. (c) 2023 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.