Wind-coupled Hydrogen Integration for Commercial Greenhouse Food and Power Production: A Case Study

This study investigates the feasibility of using green hydrogen technology produced via Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolysis powered by a 200 MW wind farm for a commercial Greenhouse in Ontario, Canada. Nine different scenarios are analyzed, exploring various approaches to hydrogen (H2) production, transportation, and utilization for electricity generation. The aim is to transition from using natural gas to using varying combinations of H2 and natural gas that include 10 %, 20 %, and 100 % of H2 with 90 %, 80 %, and 0 % of natural gas, to generate 13.3 MW from Combined Heat and Power (CHP) engines. The techno-economic parameters considered for the study are the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH), payback period (PBT), internal rate of return (IRR), and discounted payback period (DPB). The study found that a 10 % H2-Natural Gas blend using existing wired or transmission line (W-10H2) with 5 days of storage capacity and 2,190 h of CHP operation per year had the lowest cost with a LCOH of USD 3.69/kg. However, 100 % of H2 using existing wired or transmission line (W-100H2) with the same storage and operation hours revealed better PBT, IRR, and DPB with values of 6.205 years, 15.16 % and 7.993 years respectively. It was found impractical to build a new pipeline or transport H2 via tube trailer from wind farm site to greenhouse. A sensitivity analysis was also conducted to understand what factors affect the LCOH value the most.