• The tool identifies 57 strategic locations in northern Chile for free, determining the generation of electricity to supply an electrolysis plant up to the storage and transportation costs of the H2V generated. It will also have a low-cost customizable section that will allow simulating parameters according to the needs of each client, in a georeferenced manner.

Fraunhofer Chile, through Crea y valida I+D+i empresarial Reactívate of Corfo -the fund that finances this initiative-, developed an online platform that allows the techno-economic evaluation of producing Solar Green Hydrogen (H2V) in the northern Chile at a pre-feasibility level, supporting and encouraging the implementation of Hydrogen projects.

The explorer aims to reduce investment uncertainty in H2V generation projects from the Arica and Parinacota Region to the Coquimbo Region inclusive, providing information and H2 production costs based on the entire value chain, from the point of electricity generation to supply an electrolysis plant up to the costs of storage and transport of the H2V generated. Thus, the platform will be a valuable tool for the energy industry to evaluate projects based on an applied R&D services model.

What is the platform for and who benefits from it?

Fraunhofer Chile's Deputy Director, María Teresa Cerda, explained that 'with this platform, the user will be able to get an idea of the potential for hydrogen generation in northern Chile, in terms of possible production volumes and the costs of generation, storage and transport. The ultimate aim of this tool is to support the preliminary assessment of green hydrogen production projects from existing solar energy in the area. However, given the simplifications and assumptions for analysis, this platform is not a substitute for detailed on-site analysis," she said.

“The project was prepared for companies in the power generation segment, large consumers and those interested in H2 plants in general, such as the mining industry, including academia," said the Deputy Director, adding that "the tool will be very positive for the energy ecosystem as it promotes renewable projects that aim to reduce uncertainty in decision-making to reduce pollutant emissions from power generation".

Explorer features

Similarly, the Researcher and Project Coordinator, Catalina Hernández Moris, explained that "the platform has two parts: the free part evaluates the H2V generation potential from solar resources in northern Chile, democratizing access to this knowledge to the general public and potential investors in 57 locations. The locations were strategically selected in Chile, due to the great potential for concentrating solar power technology due to low cloud coverage. On the other hand, in the paid version, the user will be able to customize different input variables to use the tool as a calculation engine to evaluate the potential according to the client's needs, making it a highly versatile tool.

Paid version

The paid version of the platform will allow users to customize their simulation with variables such as: location, renewable generation power, electrolyzer power, investment, and operation cost of the electrolyzer, and transport distance, among other variables that will allow the quantification of electricity generation, production and costs associated with hydrogen production, storage and transport.

Finally, it is important to note that the Green Hydrogen Explorer (EHV) is currently available in a beta version and users will be able to make comments for improvement by sending an email to ehv@fraunhofer.cl.