Abstract
Multiple reports exist on the range of cost of production of hydrogen, from about US$1.20 to $12.00 per kg. Hydrogen exists mainly as part of compounds, and elemental hydrogen has to be formed from these compounds and/or from mixtures of compounds by spending energy. A detailed thermodynamic analysis revealed that this spectrum of costs exists primarily from the energy conversion costs and the economics of such energy conversions. This analysis leads to the simple low-cost possibilities of hydrogen from hydrocarbons, called 'orange' hydrogen, which is CO2-free, along with the ease of making it from the ground using present-day renewable energy as needed.
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Neelameggham, N.R., Subramanian, G. & Kalamegham, P. Thermoeconomic Dynamics of Energy-Efficient Orange Hydrogen Production: An Energy Matter. JOM 74, 1923–1931 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-022-05162-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-022-05162-x