EWI Global PtX Cost Tool

How expensive are the production and transport of hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives at different locations around the world?
In which countries of origin can green hydrogen be produced most cheaply, and how does this change in future scenarios?
And is it more worthwhile for a country to produce domestically or to import via a specific transport route?

The EWI Global PtX Cost Tool provides scenarios for the global supply of green hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives from wind and solar energy. The tool analyzes production costs and production potential in 117 countries of origin as well as the costs for transport to 22 destination countries and covers hydrogen as well as the derivatives ammonia, methane, methanol, and Fischer-Tropsch fuels.

Figure 1: Supply costs for green methanol to Germany in 2030

The EWI Global PtX Cost Tool for Consulting and Research

The tool compares the production potential for hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives between countries, for today’s hydrogen projects as well as for future scenarios. Cost overviews and comparisons can be presented both at a high level for decision-makers and in detail for further research projects and model analyses.

The EWI Global PtX Cost Tool in Practice:

Global potential and cost analysis: present production potentials for hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives from wind and solar energy with the associated generation costs (Levelized Cost of Hydrogen, LCOH) in 117 countries of origin
Transport cost analysis: calculate the costs for transporting hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives by ship and pipeline
Supply cost analysis: compare the costs from domestic production and import from 22 destination countries for importing countries
Optimal asset sizing: determine the optimal asset structure (renewable energy plant (RES), electrolyzer, storage) for cost-minimal hydrogen production in different countries
Global database: provide comprehensive cost parameters for further analyses in research and consulting

The EWI Global PtX Cost Tool in Detail

The EWI Global PtX Cost Tool is based on a linear optimization model that minimizes the levelized costs of hydrogen production (LCOH) by optimizing the sizing and operation of the central system components, including electrolyzers, storage, and renewable energy capacities. The tool uses an island approach in which all plants at a site are directly connected to one another. For photovoltaics (PV), onshore, and offshore wind, the tool represents different quality classes per country, which differ according to capacity factors or water depth. For each quality class, the production costs for hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives are determined country-specifically for the years 2025 to 2050 in five-year steps in a separate optimization.

In addition, the tool varies the requirements of the supply profile between an annual production volume (volatile) and an hourly production volume (baseload). Input parameters on investment and operating costs are likewise country-specific and stored for two scenarios (baseline and optimistic). Furthermore, the tool uses country-specific capital costs (Weighted Average Cost of Capital, WACC), which include a technology risk in addition to country risks.

Schematic Representation of the Tool

Figure 2: Schematic representation of the EWI Global PtX Cost Tool

The results of the optimizations are presented in an Excel tool that also contains the transport cost calculation. In the “Global Analysis” sheet, world maps show the comparison of production and supply costs (see Figure 1). In the “Results Export” sheet, all results of the selected scenarios can be exported for further processing. In the “Country-to-country analysis” sheet, supply chains can be analyzed individually and in detail.