HEEP: A new tool for the economic evaluation of hydrogen economy

Under agreement and in collaboration with the Indian BHABHA Atomic Research Centre (BARC), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has just released the newly developed Hydrogen Economic Evaluation Programme (HEEP) software, which can be used to perform economic analysis related to large scale hydrogen production. The software could be used to analyse economics of the most promising processes for hydrogen production. These processes are: high and low-temperature electrolysis, thermo-chemical processes including Sulphur–Iodine (S-I) process, conventional electrolysis and steam reforming. The IAEA-HEEP software is also suitable for comparative studies not only between nuclear and fossil energy sources for hydrogen production but also for solely hydrogen production or cogeneration with electricity. The HEEP models are based on economic, technical as well as chronological inputs, and cost modelling. Modelling will include various aspects of hydrogen economy including storage, transport, and distribution with options to eliminate or include specific details as required by the users.Similar in principles to the IAEA DEEP software, HEEP can be used to perform economic analysis and feasibility studies related to hydrogen production using nuclear energy. Preliminary benchmarking of the beta-version of HEEP with open literature has revealed that the software could indeed be used for the investigation of complex systems for hydrogen production including the nuclear power plant, the hydrogen production plant and the hydrogen distribution systems. The development of HEEP will continue in future to ensure that various major processes and technologies are incorporated in HEEP. The beta-version of HEEP can be downloaded free of charge from the IAEA web site.