Renewable energy transport via hydrogen pipelines and HVDC transmission lines

The majority penetration of Variable Renewable Energy (VRE) will challenge the stability of electrical transmission grids due to unpredictable peaks and troughs of VRE generation. With renewable generation located further from high demand urban cores, there will be a need to develop new transmission pathways to deliver the power. This paper compares the transport and storage of VRE through a hydrogen pipeline to the transport of VRE through a High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission line. The analysis found a hydrogen pipeline can offer a cost-competitive method for VRE transmission compared to a HVDC transmission line on a life-cycle cost basis normalized by energy flows for distances at 1000 miles with 2030 technology. This finding has implications for policy makers, project developers, and system operators for the future development of transmission infrastructure projects given the additionality which hydrogen pipelines can provide in terms of energy storage. •Hydrogen pipelines can be cost competitive with long distance HVDC transmission.•SOFC technological improvements can increase their role in future power systems.•Hydrogen pipelines can be an effective future means of renewable energy transport.