Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SH2E (Sustainability Assessment of Harmonised Hydrogen Energy Systems: Guidelines for Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment and Prospective Benchmarking)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2021-01-01 al 2021-12-31
Hydrogen is expected to play a key role as an energy carrier in the path towards global sustainability. Nevertheless, right decisions are needed to make fuel cells and hydrogen (FCH) systems effective in this crusade. Besides technological advancements, methodological solutions that allow checking the suitability of FCH systems under sustainability aspects from a life-cycle perspective are needed to sensibly support decision-making. Such methodological contributions should rely on well-defined guidelines that allow a reliable assessment and benchmarking of FCH systems. In this sense, sound guidelines for Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) of FCH systems are urgently needed.
The goal of SH2E is to provide a harmonised (i.e. methodologically consistent) multi-dimensional framework for the LCSA and prospective benchmarking of FCH systems. To that end, SH2E will develop and demonstrate specific guidelines for the environmental (LCA), economic (LCC) and social (SLCA) life cycle assessment and benchmarking of FCH systems, while addressing their consistent integration into robust FCH-LCSA guidelines. These guidelines aim to be globally accepted as the reference document for LCSA of FCH systems and set the basis for future standardisation, going beyond the update of past initiatives such as the FC-HyGuide project and the IEA Hydrogen Task 36 through their reformulation to deal with underdeveloped topics such as material criticality and prospective assessment. For the sake of practicality and extended use of the guidelines, key SH2E outcomes also include user-friendly, open-access software tools with illustrative case studies, also being a source of publicly available data reviewed by a third party. Thus, the project is aligned with international initiatives towards global sustainability, including the Innovation Challenge on Renewable and Clean Hydrogen, by providing robust frameworks and tools that help decision-makers check the sustainability of FCH solutions.
The goal of SH2E is to provide a harmonised (i.e. methodologically consistent) multi-dimensional framework for the LCSA and prospective benchmarking of FCH systems. To that end, SH2E will develop and demonstrate specific guidelines for the environmental (LCA), economic (LCC) and social (SLCA) life cycle assessment and benchmarking of FCH systems, while addressing their consistent integration into robust FCH-LCSA guidelines. These guidelines aim to be globally accepted as the reference document for LCSA of FCH systems and set the basis for future standardisation, going beyond the update of past initiatives such as the FC-HyGuide project and the IEA Hydrogen Task 36 through their reformulation to deal with underdeveloped topics such as material criticality and prospective assessment. For the sake of practicality and extended use of the guidelines, key SH2E outcomes also include user-friendly, open-access software tools with illustrative case studies, also being a source of publicly available data reviewed by a third party. Thus, the project is aligned with international initiatives towards global sustainability, including the Innovation Challenge on Renewable and Clean Hydrogen, by providing robust frameworks and tools that help decision-makers check the sustainability of FCH solutions.
Trends and needs in currently available general and FCH-specific LCA guidelines have already been identified by following a review procedure which included not only guidelines but also FCH projects as well as LCA case studies in the scientific literature. According to the identified trends and needs, the reformulation and enlargement of FCH-specific LCA guidelines has already been started, addressing topics such as prospectivity, multifunctionality, capital goods, end of life, etc. Besides, a thorough literature review of approaches addressing primary resources in general and critical materials specifically has already been conducted, providing a basis for recommendations on how to integrate critical materials into LCA of FCH systems.
Two case studies have already been selected for future demonstration of the guidelines and tools: hydrogen production in a solid oxide electrolyser, and hydrogen use in a (PEM) fuel cell electric vehicle. Furthermore, work on the prospective environmental LCA of a case study of renewable hydrogen from solid oxide electrolysis has already been started.
The research activity carried out so far has led to a significant number of scientific contributions to conferences such as the 9th World Hydrogen Technologies Convention (WHTC 2021), the World Fuel Cell Conference 2021 (WFCC 2021), the 10th International Conference on Life Cycle Management (LCM 2021), and the XVI Hydrogen Power Theoretical & Engineering Solutions International Symposium (HYPOTHESIS XVI).
Two case studies have already been selected for future demonstration of the guidelines and tools: hydrogen production in a solid oxide electrolyser, and hydrogen use in a (PEM) fuel cell electric vehicle. Furthermore, work on the prospective environmental LCA of a case study of renewable hydrogen from solid oxide electrolysis has already been started.
The research activity carried out so far has led to a significant number of scientific contributions to conferences such as the 9th World Hydrogen Technologies Convention (WHTC 2021), the World Fuel Cell Conference 2021 (WFCC 2021), the 10th International Conference on Life Cycle Management (LCM 2021), and the XVI Hydrogen Power Theoretical & Engineering Solutions International Symposium (HYPOTHESIS XVI).
SH2E progress beyond the state-of-the-art in LCA of FCH systems refers to the update and further adaptation of FC-HyGuide and IEA Hydrogen Task 36 guidelines for the environmental assessment of FCH systems, including their reformulation to include the currently underdeveloped topics of prospectivity and material criticality. In LCC of FCH systems, SH2E advancements involve the identification of the most appropriate economic life-cycle indicators and the corresponding evaluation methods, including specific provisions for prospective economic assessment of emerging FCH systems. In SLCA of FCH systems, advancements refer to the definition of a social assessment approach for FCH systems, with emphasis on the definition and evaluation of supply chains under a relevant set of social life-cycle indicators.
Moreover, according to the state-of-the-art in LCSA of FCH systems, SH2E progress involves not only the improvements in each separate component (LCA, LCC, and SLCA) but also their consistent integration into a harmonised framework and the development of computational tools that promote the use and reporting of LCSA for the sustainability assessment and benchmarking of FCH systems.
SH2E relevance lies in the principles of both “doing things right” (i.e. checking before acting) and “doing the right thing” (i.e. promoting sustainable FCH solutions, with such a qualification being increasingly relevant to international initiatives such as the European Green Deal and the EU Taxonomy). SH2E advancements hold the potential to avoid decisions made without any analytical supporting information as well as biased decisions taking into account only economic aspects or reducing sustainability to the carbon footprint indicator (disregarding additional environmental indicators as well as social ones).
Moreover, according to the state-of-the-art in LCSA of FCH systems, SH2E progress involves not only the improvements in each separate component (LCA, LCC, and SLCA) but also their consistent integration into a harmonised framework and the development of computational tools that promote the use and reporting of LCSA for the sustainability assessment and benchmarking of FCH systems.
SH2E relevance lies in the principles of both “doing things right” (i.e. checking before acting) and “doing the right thing” (i.e. promoting sustainable FCH solutions, with such a qualification being increasingly relevant to international initiatives such as the European Green Deal and the EU Taxonomy). SH2E advancements hold the potential to avoid decisions made without any analytical supporting information as well as biased decisions taking into account only economic aspects or reducing sustainability to the carbon footprint indicator (disregarding additional environmental indicators as well as social ones).