Beyond the Grid: Modeling, Optimization and Economic Evaluation of Future Hydrogen Autonomous Home Energy Systems

In this work the feasibility of fully autonomous hydrogen homes designed for complete off-grid operation is presented. A detailed mathematical modeling and optimization model is developed to evaluate the technical performance and economic feasibility of hydrogen fuel cell-powered residential systems with no grid connection or fallback. The system integrates primary and standby Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells, multi-day hydrogen storage, advanced power conditioning, and comprehensive controls to achieve reliable year-round power supply. The analysis encompasses a complete 20-year lifecycle cost assessment. The results demonstrate that fully autonomous hydrogen homes achieve 99.85% system availability with 13.1 h of potential downtime annually, providing reliable energy independence. The levelized cost of electricity over the 20-year system lifetime is calculated at 0.4543 US$/kWh at baseline hydrogen prices of 6 US$/kgH2, substantially higher than grid-connected alternatives. The analysis identifies critical sensitivity to hydrogen pricing and demonstrates that at hydrogen costs below 3 US$/kgH2 (achievable with mature green hydrogen production), competitive payback periods of 12–15 years are possible in high-cost electricity regions. This study concludes that hydrogen-based autonomous homes represent a viable long-term solution for residential energy independence, particularly in remote or off-grid locations where grid connection is impractical or in regions with high electricity tariffs and developing green hydrogen production capacity.