Open Access
Integrated System Analysis of Green Hydrogen Potential for Decarbonized Energy Generation and Sustainable Utilization Pathways in Serbia
4
Department of Civil Engineering, Accra Institute of Science and Technology Ghana
4
Department of Computer Engineering, West African University of Engineering and Technology Ghana
Abstract
The transition toward low-carbon energy systems necessitates the integration of alternative fuels capable of reducing greenhouse gas emissions while ensuring energy security. Green hydrogen has emerged as a critical vector in decarbonizing energy systems due to its versatility and compatibility with renewable energy sources. This study presents an integrated system analysis of green hydrogen potential in Serbia, focusing on its role in enabling decarbonized energy generation and sustainable utilization pathways. The research adopts a multi-dimensional methodology combining techno-economic evaluation, life cycle assessment, and system-level modeling to assess hydrogen production, storage, and utilization. The findings indicate that Serbia possesses significant renewable energy resources suitable for green hydrogen generation, particularly through solar and wind-based electrolysis systems. The study further identifies optimal pathways for hydrogen deployment across industrial, transportation, and power sectors. However, challenges related to infrastructure, policy frameworks, and economic feasibility persist. The research contributes by proposing a structured framework for integrating hydrogen systems into national energy strategies while addressing environmental and economic trade-offs. The results underscore the necessity of coordinated policy interventions and technological innovation to accelerate hydrogen adoption.
Keywords
Green hydrogen,
decarbonization,
energy systems,
electrolysis
References
A. Buttler and H. Spliethoff, “Current status of water electrolysis for energy storage, grid balancing and sector coupling via power-to-gas and power-to-liquids: A review,” Renewable Sustainable Energy Rev. 82, 2440–2454 (2018).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2017.09.003
A. M. Oliveira, R. R. Beswick, and Y. Yan, “A green hydrogen economy for a renewable energy society,” Curr. Opin. Chem. Eng. 33, 100701 (2021).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coche.2021.100701
A. Valente, D. Iribarren, and J. Dufour, “Harmonised life-cycle global warming impact of renewable hydrogen,” J. Cleaner Prod. 149, 762–772 (2017).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.02.163
C. Acar and I. Dincer, “Review and evaluation of hydrogen production options for better environment,” J. Cleaner Prod. 218, 835–849 (2019).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.02.046
D. Yadav and R. Banerjee, “Economic assessment of hydrogen production from solar driven high-temperature steam electrolysis process,” J. Cleaner Prod. 183, 1131–1155 (2018).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.01.074
E. Cetinkaya, I. Dincer, and G. F. Naterer, “Life cycle assessment of various hydrogen production methods,” Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 37, 2071–2080 (2012).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2011.10.064
E. Haghi, K. Raahemifar, and M. Fowler, “Investigating the effect of renewable energy incentives and hydrogen storage on advantages of stakeholders in a microgrid,” Energy Policy 113, 206–222 (2018).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2017.10.045
F. Razi and I. Dincer, “A critical evaluation of potential routes of solar hydrogen production for sustainable development,” J. Cleaner Prod. 264, 121582 (2020).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.121582
F. Qureshi, M. Yusuf, H. Kamyab, N. Dai-Viet Vo, S. Chelliapan, J. Sang-Woo, and Y. Vasseghian, “Latest eco-friendly avenues on hydrogen production towards a circular bioeconomy: Currents challenges, innovative insights, and future perspectives,” Renewable Sustainable Energy Rev. 168, 112916 (2022).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2022.112916
G. Bettini and L. Karaliotas, “Exploring the limits of peak oil: Naturalising the political, de-politicising energy,” Geogr. J. 179, 331–341 (2013).https://doi.org/10.1111/geoj.12024
G. Kakoulaki, I. Kougias, N. Taylor, F. Dolci, J. Moya, and A. AJager-Waldau, “Green hydrogen in Europe – A regional assessment: Substituting existing production with electrolysis powered by renewables,” Energy Convers. Manage. 228, 113649 (2021).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2020.113649
H. O. Iyamu, M. Anda, and G. Ho, “A review of municipal solid waste management in the BRIC and high-income countries: A thematic framework for low-income countries,” Habitat Int. 95, 102097 (2020).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2019.102097
IEA Report, Global Hydrogen Review. International Energy Agency, 2023, see https://www.iea.org/reports/global-hydrogen-review-2023 (last accessed February 19, 2024).
IPCC Report, Climate change 2023, Synthesis report. A Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2023, see https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/syr/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_SYR_FullVolume.pdf (last accessed on September 09, 2024).
Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan of the Republic of Serbia for the period 2030 with the projections up to 2050, 2023, see https://www.mre.gov.rs/extfile/sr/1113/INECP_Serbia_ENG_13.06.23.pdf (last accessed February 1, 2024).
IRENA, Hydrogen: A renewable energy perspective, International Renewable Energy Agency, AbuDhabi, 2019, see https://www.irena.org/publications/2019/Sep/Hydrogen-A-renewable-energy-perspective (last accessed February 18, 2024).
IRENA, Green hydrogen supply: A guide to policy making, International Renewable Energy Agency, AbuDhabi, 2021, see https://www.irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publication/2021/May/IRENA_Green_Hydrogen_Supply_2021.pdf (last accessed February 18, 2024).
J. Brauns and T. Turek, “Alkaline water electrolysis powered by renewable energy: A review,” Processes 8(2), 248 (2020).https://doi.org/10.3390/pr8020248
J. D. Holladay, J. Hu, and K. Y. Wang, “An overview of hydrogen production technologies,” Catal. Today 139, 244–260 (2009).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cattod.2008.08.039
J. Hwang, K. Maharjan, and H. Cho, “A review of hydrogen utilization in power generation and transportation sectors: Achievements and future challenges,” Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 48, 28629–28648 (2023).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2023.04.024
J. Li, W. Wei, W. Zhen, Y. Guo, and B. Chen, “How green transition of energy system impacts China's mercury emissions,” Earth's Future 7(12), 1407–1416 (2019).https://doi.org/10.1029/2019EF001269
J. Tian, Y. Longguang, R. Xue, S. Zhuang, and Y. Shan, “Global low-carbon energy transition in the post-COVID-19 era,” Appl. Energy 307, 118205 (2022).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2021.118205
M. Blohm and F. Dettner, “Green hydrogen production: Integrating environmental and social criteria to ensure sustainability,” Smart Energy 11, 100112 (2023).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.segy.2023.100112
M. Ghazvini, M. Sadeghzadeh, M. H. Ahmadi, S. Moosavi, and F. Pourfayaz, “Geothermal energy use in hydrogen production: A review,” Int. J. Energy Res. 43(14), 7823–7851 (2019).https://doi.org/10.1002/er.4778
M. Kayakus, “Forecasting carbon dioxide emissions in Turkey using machine learning methods,” Int. J. Global Warming 28, 199–210 (2022).https://doi.org/10.1504/IJGW.2022.126669
M. Mehrpooya, F. K. Bahnamiri, and S. M. A. Moosavian, “Energy analysis and economic evaluation of a new developed integrated process configuration to produce power, hydrogen, and heat,” J. Cleaner Prod. 239, 118042 (2019).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.118042
M. Voldsund, K. Jordal, and R. Anantharaman, “Hydrogen production with CO2 capture,” Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 41, e4969–e4992 (2016).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2016.01.009
M. Wang, G. Wang, Z. Sun, Y. Zhang, and D. Xu, “Review of renewable energy-based hydrogen production processes for sustainable energy innovation,” Global Energy Interconnect. 2(5), 436–443 (2019).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloei.2019.11.019
P. M. Falcone, M. Hiete, and A. Sapio, “Hydrogen economy and sustainable development goals: Review and policy insights,” Curr. Opin. Green Sustainable Chem. 31, 100506 (2021).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogsc.2021.100506
P. Nikolaidis and A. Poullikkas, “A comparative overview of hydrogen production processes,” Renewable Sustainable Energy Rev. 67, 597–611 (2017).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2016.09.044
P. Sampath, Brijesh, K. R. Reddy, C. V. Reddy, N. P. Shetti, R. V. Kulkarni, and A. V. Raghu, “Biohydrogen production from organic waste – A review,” Chem. Eng. Technol. 43, 1240–1248 (2020).https://doi.org/10.1002/ceat.201900400
Q. Hassan, S. Algburi, A. Z. Sameen, H. M. Salman, and M. Jaszczur, “Green hydrogen: A pathway to a sustainable energy future,” Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 50, 310–333 (2024).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2023.08.321
Q. Hassan, A. M. Abdulateef, S. A. Hafedh, A. Al-samari, J. Abdulateef, A. Z. Sameen, H. M. Salman, A. K. Al-Jiboory, S. Wieteska, and M. Jaszczur, “Renewable energy-to-green hydrogen: A review of main resources routes, processes and evaluation,” Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 48, e17383–e17408 (2023).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2023.01.175
S. Rajendran, T. K. A. Hoang, R. Boukherroub, D. E. Diaz-Droguett, F. Gracia, M. A. GraciaPinilla et al, “Hydrogen adsorption properties of Ag decorated TiO2 nanomaterials,” Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 43, 2861–2868 (2018).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2017.12.080
S. S. Kumar and V. Himabindu, “Hydrogen production by PEM water electrolysis: A review,” Mater. Sci. Energy Technol. 2(3), 442–454 (2019).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mset.2019.03.002
T. Terlouw, C. Bauer, R. McKenna, and M. Mazzotti, “Large-scale hydrogen production via water electrolysis: A techno-economic and environmental assessment,” Energy Environ. Sci. 15, 3583 (2022).https://doi.org/10.1039/D2EE01023B
X. Li, C. J. Raorane, C. Xia, Y. Wu, T. K. Ngan Tran, and T. Khademi, “Latest approaches on green hydrogen as a potential source of renewable energy towards sustainable energy: Spotlighting of recent innovations, challenges, and future insights,” Fuel 334, 126684 (2023).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2022.126684
Y. Goren, I. Dincer, and A. Khalvati, “A comprehensive review on environmental and economic impacts of hydrogen production from traditional and cleaner resources,” J. Environ. Chem. Eng. 11, 111187 (2023).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2023.111187
B. B. Ekeoma, M. Yusuf, K. Johari, and B. Abdullah, “Mesoporous silica supported Ni-based catalysts for methane dry reforming: A review of recent studies,” Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 47(98), 41596–41620 (2022).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2022.05.297
B. S. Zainal, P. J. Ker, M. Hassan, H. C. Ong, I. M. R. Fattah, S. M. A. Rahman, L. D. Nghiem, and T. M. I. Mahlia, “Recent advancement and assessment of green hydrogen production technologies,” Renewable Sustainable Energy Rev. 189, 113941 (2024).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2023.113941
Similar Articles
- Dr. Sandeep Rajan, Dr. Priyal Nair, INTEGRATED SOLAR TRI-GENERATION SYSTEMS: A MULTI-CRITERIA THERMO-ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF COMBINED ORGANIC RANKINE, ABSORPTION REFRIGERATION, AND KALINA CYCLES , International Journal of Renewable, Green, and Sustainable Energy: Vol. 2 No. 05 (2025): Volume 02 Issue 05
- Dr. Marco L. Venturi, INTEGRATED GRID-TO-VEHICLE AND VEHICLE-TO-GRID ARCHITECTURES FOR HIGH-RENEWABLE POWER SYSTEMS: OPTIMIZATION PARADIGMS, UNCERTAINTY, AND SYSTEM-LEVEL IMPLICATIONS , International Journal of Renewable, Green, and Sustainable Energy: Vol. 3 No. 02 (2026): Volume 03 Issue 02
- Dr. Kalkidan Tesfaye, Dr. Lars Neumann, TECHNO-ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY AND OPTIMIZATION OF OFF-GRID HYBRID RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEMS FOR RURAL ELECTRIFICATION IN ETHIOPIA , International Journal of Renewable, Green, and Sustainable Energy: Vol. 2 No. 06 (2025): Volume 02 Issue 06
- Dr. Elias Martínez, NUMERICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF A PACKED-BED LATENT HEAT THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE UNIT UTILIZING VARIOUS PARAFFIN PHASE CHANGE MATERIALS , International Journal of Renewable, Green, and Sustainable Energy: Vol. 2 No. 06 (2025): Volume 02 Issue 06
- Dr. Banyu Herlambang, Optimizing the Archipelago's Energy Future: A Systems Analysis of Electric Vehicle and Renewable Energy Integration into Indonesia's Electrical Grid , International Journal of Renewable, Green, and Sustainable Energy: Vol. 2 No. 10 (2025): Volume 02 Issue 10
- Alejandro Martín Calderón, Vehicle-to-Grid Integration as a Systemic Lever for Frequency Regulation, Renewable Energy Assimilation, and Market Transformation in Modern Power Systems , International Journal of Renewable, Green, and Sustainable Energy: Vol. 3 No. 01 (2026): Volume 03 Issue 01
- Mei Zhang, DYNAMIC PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS AND SIMULATION OF A STANDALONE HYBRID RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEM FOR REMOTE CHINESE COMMUNITIES , International Journal of Renewable, Green, and Sustainable Energy: Vol. 2 No. 02 (2025): Volume 02 Issue 02
- Mateo Sørensen, Jonas Keller, Integrated Control, Mooring, and Flow Modeling Frameworks for Floating Offshore Wind Farms: A Comprehensive Research Analysis of Dynamic Stability, Wake Behavior, and Grid-Responsive Operation , International Journal of Renewable, Green, and Sustainable Energy: Vol. 3 No. 04 (2026): Volume 03 Issue 04
- Isinkaye O. D., Oluwatobi O. B., Ikusika T. T., DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF A NON-FOSSIL FUEL GENERATOR , International Journal of Renewable, Green, and Sustainable Energy: Vol. 2 No. 08 (2025): Volume 02 Issue 08
- Dr. Elisa M. Contarini, Dr. Matteo R. Bellini, Reframing Net-Zero Building Delivery Through Life-Cycle Thinking, Material Circularity, and Context-Sensitive Design: An Integrated Research Perspective for Sustainable Construction Transition , International Journal of Renewable, Green, and Sustainable Energy: Vol. 3 No. 03 (2026): Volume 03 Issue 03
You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.