A feasibility study of using renewable-based hydrogen in off-grid domestic energy systems: a case study in Italy

Electrification is increasingly the way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from domestic heating, cooling, and appliance consumption. Especially in rural areas, a potential solution could be to create off-grid housing using green hydrogen produced by building-integrated photovoltaics. In this framework, the paper presents a feasibility study of using renewable-based hydrogen in off-grid domestic energy systems considering several scenarios, from the current to the full electric one, taking into account various household appliances, heating/cooling systems, and buildings’ energy efficiencies. In particular, a robust approach that considers several demands and photovoltaic productions over five years has been implemented to investigate the impact on hydrogen production and consumption from the north to the south of Italy. Energy demand, photovoltaic production, and weather data of a sample house located in three cities, Brescia, Rome, and Palermo, have been used. A significant emphasis is placed on the installed hydrogen storage tank’s size, performance during the year, and recharges to face hydrogen shortage. The outcomes of the analysis highlight that some issues still need to be solved to achieve an off-grid household, especially in the full electric scenario and in buildings with low efficiency.