A Critical Review of the Techno-Economic Analysis of the Hydrogen Production from Water Electrolysers Using Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM)

Abstract

Hydrogen is a potential energy vector and storage medium for achieving net-zero emissions on a large scale. Among the various methods of producing low- carbon hydrogen, water electrolysis is the most appropriate and promising. Despite the commercial implementation of technical and industrial hydrogen production via electrolysis, conducting a comprehensive economic analysis of its production using grid or micro grid renewable energy systems presents challenges. Accordingly, it's important to review the approaches in the literature on the performance and costs of water electrolysis systems. This critical review aims to identify key performance parameters of the main commercial water electrolysers. In particular, the review will highlight advances in materials and challenges of Alkaline and Polymer Electrolyte Membrane commercial water electrolysis technologies. A techno-economic analysis using Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) will be performed on these technologies. The review will present various MCDM analysis methods used for these analyses. Results obtained from these methods will be compared and discussed, including their technological issues and the cost of hydrogen prospects, will be shown. Additionally, the potential of using Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) as a tool for supporting appropriate decision-making in hydrogen production and identifying research and development gaps in water electrolysis will be presented. Also, the limitations and performance of commercial electrolysers while suggesting possible solutions for achieving cost-effective hydrogen production will be described. The goal of this critical review is to propose innovative ideas and solutions for driving cost-effective green hydrogen production for commercial applications. The manuscript clearly states its objective to provide a comprehensive review of the fundamental principles and challenges associated with Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) and Alkaline Water Electrolysis (AWE). It aims to identify current trends in water electrolysis technology and evaluate the techno-economic feasibility of hydrogen production using Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) tools. This objective is directly aligned with the need for practical solutions in green hydrogen production, emphasizing the study's contribution towards promoting the adoption of green hydrogen as a critical technology for a low-carbon economy. The introduction discusses the significant challenges in adopting electrolysis technologies, such as high capital costs and the need for innovation in materials and design. It mentions ongoing research to find affordable alternatives to expensive materials like platinum, aiming to reduce the overall cost of electrolysis.