Abstract

The threat to environmental sustainability due to greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels leads to the search for new energy sources, such as hydrogen, one of the most promising alternatives for use in the transport sector. Therefore, the main aim of this study is to evaluate the potential for producing hydrogen generated by electrolysis in plants along 3,187 km of highways in Brazil. A theoretical electrolysis plant powered by a photovoltaic system with a nominal power of 1.0 MW was simulated and evaluated in ten cities. Among the results, using the HOMER PRO software, the possibility of producing hydrogen in the range from 30.17 tons/year to 35.33 tons/year per installed MW stands out, at the Levelized Cost of Hydrogen in the range from 3.0 to 4.0 US$/kg of hydrogen. These results encourage continued research into the production and use of hydrogen in Brazil.