Hydrogen Production and Utilization Pathways for Renewable Energy Systems: A Comprehensive Review
Youness HAKAM, Mohamed TABAA, Abdellah AILANE
Abstract. Hydrogen is becoming more and more a key element of the worldwide transitioning energy. It joins generation of renewable electricity, long- term storage of energy, and multi-sector applications including power, transportation and chemical industry. This review provides an extensive compilation of hydrogen production and utilization routes, focusing on the type that is driven by renewable energies. Electricity generated from solar or wind can be used to produce hydrogen using water electrolysis into a range of end uses including compressed, liquefied and solid form of storage for conversion in internal combustion engines (ICEs), turbines, fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) and chemical synthesis. Recent advances in (water) electrolysis, the effect of n-type and p-type classification. This study also addresses recent progress on electrolysis technologies, promoted efficiency and integration with renewable energy systems. It also emphasizes techno-economic, environmental and policy factors influencing hydrogen deployment.
Keywords
Hydrogen Energy Storage, Grid Stabilization, Renewable Energy Integration, Power System Reliability, Fuel Cell, Electrolyzer, Hydrogen Production, Energy Management, Power Grid Flexibility, Sustainable Energy Systems
Published online 4/25/2026, 8 pages
Copyright © 2026 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA
Citation: Youness HAKAM, Mohamed TABAA, Abdellah AILANE, Hydrogen Production and Utilization Pathways for Renewable Energy Systems: A Comprehensive Review, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 64, pp 345-352, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644904091-43
The article was published as article 43 of the book Energy Futures
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
References
[1] J. Barba, Integrating Hydrogen into Power Systems: A Comprehensive Review, Sustainability, Vol. 17, No. 13, Article 6117, 2025. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17136117
[2] K. Kwon et al., Integrated Battery and Hydrogen Energy Storage for Enhanced Grid Power Savings and Green Hydrogen Utilization, Applied Sciences, Vol. 14, No. 17, Article 7631, 2024. https://doi.org/10.3390/app14177631
[3] L. Meegahapola, Grid Integration of Hydrogen Electrolysers and Fuel-Cells: Opportunities, Challenges and Future Directions, IEEE Smart Grid Bulletin, March 2023.
[4] M. Wong & H. Nabipour Afrouzi, Hydrogen Energy Storage System: Review on Recent Progress, Energy Engineering, Vol. 122, No. 1, 2025 https://doi.org/10.32604/ee.2024.056707
[5] R. Cozzolino, G. R. Hervàs, A. J. N. Pérez et al., A review of electrolyzer-based systems providing grid ancillary services,Frontiers in Energy Research, vol. 12, art. no. 1358333, 2024. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenrg.2024.1358333
[6] V. Karol, Review of Energy Storage Devices: Fuel Cells, Hydrogen Storage Devices and Batteries, ACS Books/Chapters, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1021/bk-2024-1488.ch001
[7] M. Danish, E. F. C. Lima, A. Mishra, A comprehensive review of green hydrogen-based hybrid energy systems for renewable energy integration and grid stability, Journal of Energy Storage & Systems, vol. x, 2025.
[8] B. Boukhchina, M. Hamdi, S. El Alimi, Power-to-hydrogen: A review of applications, market development, and policy landscape, AIMS Energy, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 696-731, 2025. https://doi.org/10.3934/energy.2025025
[9] R. Cozzolino, G. Hervàs, A. J. N. Pérez et al., A review of electrolyzer-based systems providing grid ancillary services, Frontiers in Energy Research, vol. 12, art. 1358333, 2024. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenrg.2024.1358333
[10] M. K. Kumar and S. R. Sundar, Comparative analysis of alkaline and PEM electrolyzers for renewable hydrogen production, Renewable Energy, vol. 210, pp. 1085-1096, 2024.
[11] Hakam Y, Ahessab H, Tabaa M, ELHadadi B, Gaga A. Hybrid ANN-GWO MPPT with MPC-based inverter control for efficient EV charging under partial shading conditions. Science Progress.2025. https://doi.org/10.1177/00368504251331835
[12] A. Tiwari, L. Dimitrov and H. Schmidt, Solid oxide electrolyzer cells for green hydrogen production: Review of materials and design trends, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2024.
[13] B. Boukhchina, M. Hamdi, and S. El Alimi, Power-to-hydrogen: A review of applications, market development, and policy landscape, AIMS Energy, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 696-731, 2025. https://doi.org/10.3934/energy.2025025
[14] M. Abbas, F. A. Al-Shara, High-pressure hydrogen gas storage technologies: Review and perspectives, Journal of Energy Storage, vol. 75, p. 108967, 2025.
[15] J. Chen, P. Reddy, Advances in cryogenic hydrogen storage and distribution, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, vol. 48, no. 35, pp. 12984-13001, 2023.
[16] L. Gandía, R. Olate, Hydrogen storage in solid materials: State of the art and emerging challenges, Energy Reports, vol. 10, pp. 544-561, 2024.
[17] T. Sharma and N. Bhattacharya, Hybrid hydrogen storage concepts for renewable energy applications, Energy Conversion and Management, vol. 296, p. 118569, 2025.
[18] D. Basso et al., Efficiency and techno-economic assessment of hydrogen-based long-term storage systems, Applied Energy, vol. 353, p. 122019, 2024.
[19] A. Rahman, M. O. Ogunmodede, AI-enabled energy management for hybrid hydrogen energy storage, IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 890-902, 2025.
[20] L. Santos and J. Torres, Power-to-X integration with hydrogen energy systems: Trends and opportunities, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 188, p. 113915, 2025.
[21] R. Cozzolino, F. Bella, E. Gammelli, F. Iacovone and M. Riva, A review of electrolyzer-based systems providing grid ancillary services: current status, market, challenges and future directions,”Frontiers in Energy Research, vol. 12, article 1358333, 2024. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenrg.2024.1358333
[22] Y. Zhai, Y. He, J. Shao, W. Zhang, X. Tong, Z. Wang and W. Weng, Review of Hydrogen-Driven Power-to-X Technology and Application Status in China, Processes, vol. 12, no. 7, 2024. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr12071518
[23] Ahessab, H., Hakam, Y., Gaga, A., El Hadadi, B. (2023). A Comparative Study of P&O and Fuzzy Logic MPPT Algorithms for a Photovoltaic Grid Connected Inverter System. In: Motahhir, S., Bossoufi, B. (eds) Digital Technologies and Applications. ICDTA 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-29857-8_65
[24] Y. Zheng, J. Jia and D. An, “Energy Management for Microgrids with Hybrid Hydrogen-Battery Storage: A Reinforcement Learning Framework Integrated Multi-Objective Dynamic Regulation,” Processes, vol. 13, no. 8, article 2558, 2025. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13082558
[25] D. Tziritas, G. M. Stavrakakis, D. Bakirtzis, G. Kaplanis, K. Patlitzianas, M. Damasiotis and P. L. Zervas, Techno-Economic Analysis of a Hydrogen-Based Power Supply Backup System for Tertiary Sector Buildings: A Case Study in Greece, Sustainability, vol. 15, no. 9, 2023. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15097646
[26] M. F. Ali, P. Suresh, and A. M. El-Sayed, Techno-economic analysis and selection of energy storage technologies for long-duration applications, Frontiers in Energy Research, vol. 13, 2025.
[27] N. Qi, H. Li, X. Zhang and Y. Chen, Long-term energy management for microgrids coordinating hybrid hydrogen-battery energy storage, Applied Energy, vol. 320, p. 120177, 2025.
[28] A. I. Osman, S. Martínez, and D. P. van der Zwaan, Life cycle assessment of hydrogen production, storage and utilization toward sustainability, Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Energy and Environment, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1002/wene.526
[29] M. Abirami, S. Kumar, and R. K. Singh, Techno-economic optimization of hybrid renewable-hydrogen systems: design, sensitivity and performance assessment, Scientific Reports, article number (online), 2025.
[30] R. Banihabib, A. R. Zareipour, and S. M. Muyeen, Techno-economic optimization of microgrid operation with electrolyzer and hydrogen-compatible micro gas turbine, Renewable Energy, vol. 230, pp. 465-478, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2024.121708
