Potential and Economic Viability of Green Hydrogen Production by Water Electrolysis using Solar Energy in Oran, Algeria

The current study investigates the viability of hydrogen production from the solar energy resources of Oran province (Lat: 35°42’N, Long: 0°38’W) in Algeria using accurate monthly solar radiation mathematical model. Some of the key results exhibit that the monthly solar energy varies from 77.08 to 218.70 Kwh/m
²
/month in Oran. Polycrystalline photovoltaic (PV) panel with 175 Wp rated power and proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer are employed. In addition, an economic study using the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) and hydrogen (LCOH2) is performed. The final results reveal that the annual hydrogen production ranges between 1.94×10
⁵
and 5.50×10
⁵
Kg in 1 Km
²
surface. Furthermore, cost of hydrogen production from solar resources in Oran is competitive, where the price of 1 Kg of hydrogen is 3.53 $.