Clean Hydrogen Production from Floating Photovoltaics: A Case Study in Dhanmondi Lake, Dhaka

Clean hydrogen is pivotal for reducing natural gas usage and advancing decarbonization. In this context, solar-based photovoltaic (PV) plants present a viable and eco-friendly approach to generating clean hydrogen energy. However, in densely populated countries like Bangladesh, the scarcity of available land necessitates the utilization of water bodies for PV installations, referred to as Floating PV systems (FPV). To this end, this paper proposes a novel methodology for assessing hydrogen generation through FPV systems in water bodies, taking into consideration technical, economic, and environmental concerns. The proposed methodology is implemented through the simulation of an FPV plant on Dhanmondi Lake, Dhaka, utilizing 1% of the total water body area as a conservative approach. The necessary simulations using PVsyst software demonstrate that the proposed FPV system with a capacity of 634 kWp, achieves a performance ratio (PR) of 77%. It generates an annual output of 925 MWh/year at a levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of 0.028 USD per kWh. Interestingly, this system can produce 149.6 tons of clean hydrogen annually through the PEM electrolyzation process. Furthermore, it significantly reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 12,900.88 tons and curtails water evaporation by 14,424 m³ per year. Over the lifespan of the project, the estimated social cost of carbon for the system amounts to 786,953.68 USD. The findings of this study highlight the promising potential of FPV-based hydrogen production, offering a cleaner and more cost-effective method of energy generation. This research can aid the researchers in developing models for future large-scale FPV-based hydrogen production endeavors in Bangladesh.