VITO:  Techno-economic assessments and LCA analysis
VITO/EnergyVille

General expertise of the research group

VITO, one of Europe’s leading research centres with 1,300 employees, turns scientific insights into groundbreaking technological innovations, AI solutions, and policy advice. We do so with a single objective: to help the world thrive for at least 1,000 more years.

As a science-to-technology partner, we support companies, governments, and society in their sustainability transition. With our multidisciplinary approach and unique lab, scale-up, and testing infrastructure, we create practical technological innovations. We accelerate progress towards a regenerative economy that reinforces planetary boundaries (prioritising electrification and circularity), smart climate solutions for resilient and secure ecosystems, and a healthy living environment harmonising humans, industry, agriculture, and nature.

At VITO, we harness the power of science, engineering, digitalisation, and collaboration to implement sustainable solutions globally, enabling the continued integration of well-being and prosperity. Within several units VITO combines the competences to perform techno-economic assessments and life cycle assessments (LCA and LCC) of the hydrogen value chain. With our developed models we can execute these assessments on the micro/meso/macro scale from a specific project/technology and upscale to the energy system covering energy supply and demand sectors.

Specific hydrogen- related expertise & research topics

  • PhD research project (BE-HyFE) focusing on the development of an investment and operational optimization modelling framework for the future hydrogen infrastructure; the model represents the hydrogen-related supply technologies and pure hydrogen gas flows with high spatial resolution (in the level industrial clusters) to deliver some insights on the cost-optimal required hydrogen backbone capacity, and how different policies can affect the industrial hydrogen production and demand
  • The TIMES-BE model developed by VITO/EnergyVille represents the Belgian energy system including all related technologies and their corresponding material and energy flows; the model is developed in TIMES, a techno-economic energy system modelling framework; due to its detailed system perspective, the TIMES-Be model is useful for determining hydrogen applications at system level:
    • TIMES will indicate the cost-optimal route in terms of technology investments; due to the high level of industrial process detail, the model allows for hydrogen applications to be compared to its possible future competitors
    • The TIMES-BE model has an integrated system approach, meaning that the interaction between sectors is considered in the analysis: the TIMES-BE model was developed under close collaboration between industry and researchers, allowing for detailed insights regarding industrial needs
  • Techno-economic analysis model focusing on the electrocatalytic production of hydrogen; the model is dynamic considering that changes in the technical parameters are translated into the economic metrics to give an indication of the economic feasibility under different circumstances; moreover, the model integrates hourly load variations and storage needs. The levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) can be derived for different scenario’s

Available equipment/tools

  •  Techno-economic assessment model
  • LCC models
  • LCA models
  • Long-term energy system optimisation model: TIMES (co-development within IEA-ETSAP technology collaboration programme)

International collaborations

  • During 2023/24 a study with objective: “Making Indian Ports Infrastructurally Ready for Green Hydrogen Transition”, a techno-economic feasibility analysis for green hydrogen storage and transportation has been carried out by VITO in partnership with Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI); final report will be published soon
  • VITO NDC Support Center: the NDC Support Center provides support to increase capacity of African countries to improve their National Energy Information Systems and their energy modelling expertise, to prepare climate communication and to improve policymaking in the framework of commitments as set for the Paris Agreement; The NDC Support Center is currently active in Malawi, Mozambique, Uganda, and Morocco
  • Horizon Europe Water-Energy-Food Nexus: WEF Energy Planning and Modelling through Integrated Assessment of Climate-Land-Energy-Water Nexus in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Cases of the Volta and Tana River Basins

Participating in FL/B/EU funded projects with H2 related research

  • Energy transition funds projects PROCURA, TRILATE and HEFAISTOS focus on the role of hydrogen production, import and infrastructure in the industrial and energy system
  • The frequently referenced Paths2050 study, which went live during December 2022, will publish a new version during Q1 2025, of the cost optimal pathways for the Belgian energy system, including the role of hydrogen. Several large (industrial) organisations are meanwhile member of the Paths2050 coalition where low carbon energy scenarios are being developed and insights shared (visit www.perspective2050.energyville.be)

Main relevant publications

  1. www.perspective2050.energyville.be contains the most relevant TIMES related results of the past year, including a topic on hydrogen
  2. Martinez, G. E., Degens, R., Espadas-Aldana, G., Costa, D., & Cardellini, G. (2024). Prospective Life Cycle Assessment of Hydrogen: A Systematic Review of Methodological Choices. Energies, 17(17), 4297

Contact persons

Giuseppe Cardellini

LCA

giuseppe.cardellini@vito.be

Miet Vandael

TEA

Miet.Vandael@vito.be

Pieter Lodewijks

Long-term modelling

Pieter.Lodewijks@vito.be

Pieter Vingerhoets

Pieter.vingerhoets@energyville.be

VITO | EnergyVille

VITO NV – Head office
Boeretang 200
BE-2400 MOL

VITO Techo-economic assessment