Development of small-medium scale territorial business models and assessment for the implementation of local hydrogen production and use chains

In the energy transition away from fossil fuels, hydrogen is recognized to have a double face. On one side continuing to be a raw material in usual sectors (as refining and fertilizer production), but no longer produced by fossil methane. On the other side starting to be a substitute of fossil fuels in new sectors, not of current common use, such as high temperature heat production or transport. To achieve these goals, different low-carbon supply chains will be considered in the coming years: international one very similar to what already happens for fossil fuels and local ones based on renewable sources present in the territory close to the final consumers. This thesis focuses on this second scenario, by analysing those enabling elements that can facilitate the introduction of local low-carbon hydrogen economy. Among all the possible ones, two enabling elements have been focused on, that seem to be promising, but also the least investigated in literature: renewable energy communities (RECs) and climate finance according to the rules established in the European Union. Both these enabling elements derive from a more than ten-years political action, born in particular within the European Union which has completed the implementation framework in recent years: the Italian scenario has been analysed and marginally the Spanish one. In a REC based in Italy, it is possible to produce renewable hydrogen by selling it at a market price equivalent to the fossil one. Using a hydrogen production, storage and consumption chain within multiple energy communities involved, it is possible in Italian scenario to better exploit renewable energy at a local level with a relevant increase in self-consumption at the same installed power level. It should be emphasized, however, that this scheme is not currently economically sustainable. Considering a network of RECs in Spain using local residual lignocellulosic biomass, it is possible to simultaneously produce hydrogen, heat and electricity for local use, obtaining a cost per kilometre for a hydrogen vehicle that can be comparable to that obtained with diesel one. Finally, considering the scenario of a high diffusion of RECs in the same territory with high penetration of renewable energy, the hydrogen produced using the excess of such renewables can be used for ancillary services for the regulation of the electric transmission grid. With the cost forecasts for fuel cells and electrolysers at 2035 this scenario will become economically sustainable. In the field of introduction of low-carbon hydrogen in sectors where it has historically been used as a feedstock, climate finance is likely to be a driver with a sure impact in the coming years. In the case of production of ammonia and synthetic methane from renewable electricity sources in Italy, climate finance fails nowadays to guarantee competitiveness with fossil fuel production. Despite the latter outcome, considering the expected evolution of electrolyser technology and a greater penetration of renewable energy in Italy, clearly climate finance will enable a path towards energy transition for chemicals free from fossil feedstocks.