A Techno-Economic Feasibility Analysis of Green Hydrogen Systems for Surplus PV Energy Utilization at a University Campus

This research presents a detailed techno-economic feasibility analysis of utilizing surplus electricity from an existing 568 kWp photovoltaic (PV) system at the Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (E-JUST). Due to significant daily energy curtailment stemming from a mismatch between generation and demand, a system to produce green hydrogen is proposed and simulated using HOMER Pro software. Four distinct case studies are evaluated to provide a comprehensive comparison of potential pathways: (1) a dedicated hydrogen production system for direct sale, (2) an integrated system using a fuel cell (FC) to meet a local electrical load, (3) a baseline grid-only supply for economic comparison, and (4) an integrated system using a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) unit to meet both electrical and thermal loads. The analysis quantifies key metrics including Net Present Cost (NPC), Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE), and Levelized Cost of Hydrogen (LCOH). Results show that the FC system achieves an LCOE of $0.2929/kWh, making it economically competitive with the emissions-adjusted grid cost of $0.3017/kWh. Furthermore, the dedicated hydrogen production system achieves a highly competitive LCOH of $2.58/kg, opening opportunities for profitable sale of hydrogen. The study concludes that harnessing surplus PV energy for hydrogen applications is not only technically viable but also presents a compelling economic case for enhancing campus sustainability, reducing operational costs, and creating new revenue streams.