A review of hydrogen production methods and power electronics converter topologies for green hydrogen applications

Abstract

Hydrogen has been receiving a lot of attention in the last few years since it is seen as a viable, yet not thoroughly dissected alternative for addressing climate change issues, namely in terms of energy storage, and therefore, great investments have been made towards research and development in this area. In this context, a study about the main options for hydrogen production, along with the analysis of a variety of the main power electronics converter topologies for such applications, is presented as the purpose of this paper. Much of the analyzed available literature only discusses a few types of hydrogen production methods, so it becomes crucial to include an analysis of all known types of methods for producing hydrogen, according to their production type, along with the color code associated with each type, and highlighting the respective contextualization, as well as advantages and disadvantages. Regarding the topologies of power electronics converters most suitable for hydrogen production, and more specifically, for green hydrogen production, a list of them was analyzed through the available literature, and a discussion of their advantages and disadvantages is presented. These topologies present the advantage of having a low ripple current output, which is a requirement for the production of hydrogen.