A report on green hydrogen (green H2) from sun, wind, and water resources, among other sources, was published by researchers from UNA’s Faculty of Chemical Sciences (FCQ) and Engineering (FI).
In the prominent scientific journal Hydrogen Energy, an article titled “Towards the hydrogen economy in Paraguay: Green hydrogen production potential and ultimate uses” was published. The research was published as part of the project “Electrolytic hydrogen production potential from renewable energy sources in Paraguay,” which received G. 500 million from Conacyt through the Prociencia program and FEEI assistance.
According to the experts, the Western Region has the largest potential for H2 production from solar and wind resources, while the Eastern Region has the greatest potential for H2 production from water resources. They also looked at two end-users of green H2: vehicle transportation (instead of gasoline and diesel) and household energy (instead of firewood and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) for cooking in houses). Green H2 is capable of replacing the use of gasoline and diesel, as well as firewood and LPG, in 16 of the 17 departments.
Finally, for three urban transportation technologies in the Asunción Metropolitan Area, the energy cost of the service (mobility), environmental concerns, and CO2 emissions were analyzed. The findings revealed that the mobility cost of fuel cell hybrid electric buses is still quite high when compared to diesel-powered buses and battery-electric buses, but hybrid electric buses might become a viable choice for longer trips.
The researchers conclude that the projected green H2 production potential promotes the adoption of the hydrogen economy in Paraguay since green H2 utilized in fuel cell hybrid electric buses has the potential to avoid roughly 96 percent of CO2 emissions when compared to diesel. Fausto Posso, Michel Galeano, César Baranda, David Franco, ngel Rincón, Juan Zambrano, Carla Cavaliero, and Davi Lopes make up the study team.
