Renewable Electrolysis in Texas: Pipelines versus Power Lines

Abstract

Using wind and solar generation to power electrolysis facilities and produce “green” hydrogen at scale would require infrastructure investment. Using current technology, we identify at least one situation in which producing hydrogen at the point of electricity generation and transporting it to the point of use via pipeline costs about one third that of transmitting the electricity and generating hydrogen at the point of use. This raises the possibility that hydrogen pipelines might provide an alternative to high voltage transmission lines for connecting renewable generation with demand. In this white paper, we explore the tradeoffs of those two options.

Description

Keywords

Renewable Energy, Texas

Citation

Joshua D. Rhodes, Thomas A. Deetjen, Robert E. Hebner, Michael C. Lewis, Nico Bouwkamp, Brian Weeks, F. Todd Davidson, Alan C. Lloyd. "Renewable Electrolysis in Texas: Pipelines versus Power Lines". H2@UT: Research and education to change the world, 2021.

DOI