A Maghreb-Iberian Green Hydrogen System

Abstract

The Green Deal (Fetting, 2020), initiated by the European Commission, aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within the EU to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels (International Panel of Climate Change, 2022). The EU focuses on energy that is acceptable, applicable, available, and affordable – referring to sustainability, technological readiness, energy security, and cost-effectiveness. Energy security involves meeting energy needs using domestic sources to avoid reliance on imported energy, which could pose threats to energy security due to the political power of supplying countries (Asia Pacific Energy Research Centre, 2007). A potential proposed by researchers is the Desertec project (Van Wijk & Wouters, 2021).

In this idea the strong solar radiation in African countries is used to supply Europe with hydrogen The Desertec project, despite its promising potential, never materialized. Studies examining the reasons for its non-realization concur that the primary hindrance was not technological limitations but rather the complexities arising from multi-country politics (Schmitt, 2018; Scheer, 2012; Lilliestam & Ellenbeck, 2011). Scheer (2012) aptly described the plan as "practically impossible for obvious political, economic, and sociological reasons" (Schmitt, 2018). He emphasized that coordinating an energy system involving over forty different goverments, each with their own energy grids and territories for power transmission, inevitably led to unrealistic expectations.

In response, this research presents a system that addresses key barriers that impeded the Desertec project's success. By focusing on a specific geographical area with fewer national governments involved, integrated energy grids, and no energy transport crossing other countries' territories, the research proposes a solution to the challenges identified by Scheer (2012) and Schmitt (2018). Portugal and Spain, with an integrated energy grid and limited European energy grid connection, are considered, while Spain's existing natural gas pipelines to Algeria offer a paved path for hydrogen transport. With this more manageable consortium of four national governments and fewer complexities, the research seeks to evaluate various technological design options using a cost model to test their feasibility and impact on energy security. The aim of this research is to provide an answer to: How does a technologically feasible Maghreb-Iberian green hydrogen system (MIGHS) impact the Iberian energy cost and energy security?