A Cooperative Planning Framework for Hydrogen Blending in Great Britain's Integrated Energy System.

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Bibliographic Details
Title: A Cooperative Planning Framework for Hydrogen Blending in Great Britain's Integrated Energy System.
Authors: Abuella, Mohamed1 (AUTHOR), Allahham, Adib1,2 (AUTHOR) adib.allahham@northumbria.ac.uk, Walker, Sara Louise1,2 (AUTHOR)
Source: Energies (19961073). May2026, Vol. 19 Issue 9, p2018. 30p.
Subject Terms: *Bilevel programming, *Energy infrastructure, *Operating costs, *Cooperation, *Greenhouse gas mitigation
Geographic Terms: United Kingdom
Abstract: Achieving Great Britain's 2050 net-zero target requires strategic integration of hydrogen into the national energy system. This study evaluates the system-wide impacts of hydrogen blending (0–100%) using a bi-level optimisation framework that combines long-term cooperative investment planning with short-term operational Optimal Power and Gas Flow (OPGF) simulation. The strategic layer models infrastructure investment decisions under a cooperative game-theoretic structure, where system value is allocated among electricity, hydrogen production, and storage technologies using the Shapley-value payoff mechanism. Contrary to traditional centralised cost-minimisation models, our findings demonstrate that a cooperative planning structure identifies superior transition pathways. Comparative results reveal that at 100% hydrogen penetration, the cooperative framework reduces total system CO2 emissions by 31%, lowers operational costs by 26%, and decreases total electricity supply requirements by 8% relative to centralised planning. Furthermore, the cooperative approach significantly enhances economic resilience, yielding a more robust Net Present Value (NPV) across all blending levels compared to centralised planning, while ensuring project profitability at lower blending thresholds (20%) where traditional models remain loss-making. Simulation results indicate that hydrogen blending up to 20% maintains operational stability with manageable increases in operational cost. Full hydrogen conversion (100%) increases peak electricity supply requirements by approximately 30% relative to low-blending scenarios due to electrolysis-driven load expansion and conversion losses. The findings demonstrate that hydrogen blending represents a viable transitional pathway when supported by integrated infrastructure development and cooperative stakeholder coordination, enabling a more efficient and economically sustainable phased progression towards Great Britain's 2050 net-zero target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Database: Energy & Power Source
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Abstract:Achieving Great Britain's 2050 net-zero target requires strategic integration of hydrogen into the national energy system. This study evaluates the system-wide impacts of hydrogen blending (0–100%) using a bi-level optimisation framework that combines long-term cooperative investment planning with short-term operational Optimal Power and Gas Flow (OPGF) simulation. The strategic layer models infrastructure investment decisions under a cooperative game-theoretic structure, where system value is allocated among electricity, hydrogen production, and storage technologies using the Shapley-value payoff mechanism. Contrary to traditional centralised cost-minimisation models, our findings demonstrate that a cooperative planning structure identifies superior transition pathways. Comparative results reveal that at 100% hydrogen penetration, the cooperative framework reduces total system CO2 emissions by 31%, lowers operational costs by 26%, and decreases total electricity supply requirements by 8% relative to centralised planning. Furthermore, the cooperative approach significantly enhances economic resilience, yielding a more robust Net Present Value (NPV) across all blending levels compared to centralised planning, while ensuring project profitability at lower blending thresholds (20%) where traditional models remain loss-making. Simulation results indicate that hydrogen blending up to 20% maintains operational stability with manageable increases in operational cost. Full hydrogen conversion (100%) increases peak electricity supply requirements by approximately 30% relative to low-blending scenarios due to electrolysis-driven load expansion and conversion losses. The findings demonstrate that hydrogen blending represents a viable transitional pathway when supported by integrated infrastructure development and cooperative stakeholder coordination, enabling a more efficient and economically sustainable phased progression towards Great Britain's 2050 net-zero target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:19961073
DOI:10.3390/en19092018