Methodological approach to the study of the electro-hydrogen system in Northeast Asia

摘要

The article proposes a methodological approach to the development of the tools for studying the international electro-hydrogen system creation in Northeast Asia. The term "hydrogen carrier" was introduced and its definition was given. The resource, economic and technological prerequisites for the development of the unified regional infrastructure to produce, transfer, transform and utilise both electricity and "hydrogen carriers" for consumers of energy services are considered.The author points out the need for a comprehensive consideration of technological, economic, social and political factors when developing such a complex technical system, which affects the diverse actors' interests. In order to create mutual understanding and balance the stakeholders' interests, the tool to evaluate the efficiency of such a system is necessary. The use of mathematical models is becoming one of the most vital and widespread techniques employed for this purpose. Thereby, the article deals with the structure and the development stages of a regional electro-hydrogen model for Northeast Asia.The review of models that address the issues of hydrogen technologies and renewable energy integration into energy supply systems is given. The main types of models used to describe such technical and economic systems are identified and it is concluded that the development of a two-level modelling system is necessary. The production and transport models at the upper (international) level should be the core of the proposed models system. At the lower level (the "green hydrogen carriers" production), the models of optimal resource management are required to determine the composition and parameters of the technological equipment.Step-by-step development of the modelling system is proposed. The first stage is the simplest scenario where only solar and wind energy is considered as an energy source. At this stage, it is possible to weed out inefficient technologies and identify targeted technologies and mechanisms for multilateral regional cooperation. The second stage should balance the interests of the actors and stakeholders. Here, the traditional renewable energy (biomass, hydro and pumped storage) along with carbon (thermal) and nuclear power generation, as well as other ("carbon") hydrogen technologies will become available for consideration. The final, third stage of the research tools development, will require separate accounting of "green" and "carbon" energy to consider certification mechanisms and energy pricing when building the international hydrogen system in Northeast Asia.In conclusion, the structure of the first stage production and transport model is described. This model will allow estimating the comparative effectiveness of different electric and hydrogen technologies to deliver green energy to consumers in the Northeast Asian economies. (C) 2022 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.