Exploring green hydrogen production potential in Western Australia: A decision framework for site suitability and scenario evaluation

作者：Ayesha Kaleem, Atiq Zaman, Yongze Song · 发表于：Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1016/j.seta.2025.104652 · 被引用次数：4 · 研究领域：Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems、Integrated Energy Systems Optimization、Social Acceptance of Renewable Energy

The share of renewable energy in Australia’s energy mix is expected to grow from 39.4 % in 2023 over the coming years. While this transition aligns with Australia’s sustainable energy goals, it also challenges grid stability. Low-load situations where renewable energy (RE) generation exceeds demand can strain grid infrastructure and frequency regulation, increasing the risk of blackouts. However, they also offer an opportunity to enhance grid resilience and sustainability by utilising surplus energy for green hydrogen production. This study assesses the viability of using surplus RE for hydrogen production in Western Australia by analysing data from 513,870 small-scale solar PV installations. Two scenarios were developed based on household solar energy use: one for households with batteries, resulting in an estimated surplus of 0.68 to 1.99 TWh/year, and another for households without batteries, yielding a surplus of 3.96 TWh/year. By assuming 60 % utilisation of this surplus, we estimate a significant potential for green hydrogen production. To evaluate site suitability, spatial analysis was conducted using ArcGIS Pro and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), considering factors such as solar potential, water accessibility, land use, and socio-environmental constraints. Three production scenarios were examined: decentralised (local community use scale), semi-centralised (commercial use scale), and centralised (industrial use scale) to identify optimal locations for each. The...