Solar photovoltaic (PV)
Solar photovoltaic systems convert sunlight into electricity using solar panels.
Reference Guide
HyChain Glossary
Search the terms, units, and methods used in the End-to-End Supply Chain Simulator and Solution Selection Tool.
Organise by
70 terms
Hydrogen & Energy
Hydrogen & Energy
12 termsElectrolyser
An electrolyser uses electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.
Electrolysis
Electrolysis is the process of using electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.
Green hydrogen
Green hydrogen is hydrogen produced using renewable electricity, such as solar PV power, rather than fossil fuel energy.
Efficiency
Efficiency describes how much useful output you get compared with the energy or resource put in. Higher efficiency means less waste.
System derating factor
The system derating factor represents practical losses in the solar PV system before electricity reaches the rest of the hydrogen supply chain.
Peak sun hours
Peak sun hours express daily solar resource as the equivalent number of hours at full sunlight intensity.
Ambient temperature
Ambient temperature is the surrounding air temperature used in the model to estimate solar PV and hydrogen production conditions.
Hydrogen storage medium
A hydrogen storage medium is a material or physical form used to store hydrogen, such as ammonia, methanol, liquid hydrogen, or gaseous hydrogen.
Underground gaseous hydrogen storage
Underground gaseous hydrogen storage stores hydrogen as a gas in underground capacity, often used when large storage volumes are needed.
Hydrogen gravimetric energy density
Hydrogen gravimetric energy density describes how much energy is stored per unit mass of hydrogen.
Hydrogen density
Hydrogen density tells you how much hydrogen mass is contained in a given volume. It is important for storage and transport calculations.
Economic Impact
Economic Impact
10 termsDiscount rate
The discount rate is used in cost modelling to account for the fact that money today is usually valued more than money in the future.
Utilisation factor
The utilisation factor estimates how much of the time a piece of equipment is effectively being used.
Levelised cost of electricity (LCOE)
LCOE is the average lifetime cost of producing electricity, expressed per unit of electricity produced.
Levelised cost of hydrogen (LCOH)
LCOH is the average lifetime cost of producing hydrogen, expressed per unit of hydrogen produced.
Capital expenditure (CAPEX)
CAPEX is the upfront investment needed to build or purchase assets such as solar PV, electrolysers, pipelines, and storage infrastructure.
Operating expenditure (OPEX)
OPEX is the ongoing cost of running and maintaining assets after they have been built or installed.
Pipeline LCOH
Pipeline LCOH is the portion of levelised hydrogen cost associated with pipeline transport infrastructure and operation.
Compressor LCOH
Compressor LCOH is the portion of levelised hydrogen cost associated with compression equipment and electricity use.
Total installed cost (TIC)
Total installed cost is the full cost of purchasing and installing equipment before ongoing operating costs are added.
Total capital investment (TCI)
Total capital investment is the full upfront capital required to build a project, including major associated costs.
Environmental Impact
Environmental Impact
7 termsGreenhouse gas (GHG)
Greenhouse gases are gases that trap heat in the atmosphere and contribute to climate change.
Carbon dioxide (CO₂)
Carbon dioxide is a major greenhouse gas released by burning many fuels.
Methane (CH₄)
Methane is a greenhouse gas that has a stronger warming effect than carbon dioxide over shorter time periods.
Nitrous oxide (N₂O)
Nitrous oxide is a greenhouse gas that can be released during fuel use and other industrial processes.
Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e)
Carbon dioxide equivalent is a way of combining different greenhouse gases into one comparable climate impact measure.
Global warming potential (GWP)
Global warming potential compares the climate impact of different greenhouse gases relative to carbon dioxide.
Environmental impact
Environmental impact describes the estimated climate-related effect of a scenario, usually shown through greenhouse gas emissions.
Units
Units
9 termsNormal cubic metre (Nm³)
A normal cubic metre is a gas volume measured under standard reference conditions, so gas quantities can be compared fairly.
Cubic metre (m³)
A cubic metre is a unit of volume used for storage capacity and gas-volume calculations.
Kilogram of hydrogen (kg H₂)
Kilogram of hydrogen is a mass unit used to report how much hydrogen is produced, stored, transported, or used.
Kilowatt (kW)
A kilowatt is a unit of power. It describes the rate at which energy is generated or used.
Kilowatt-hour (kWh)
A kilowatt-hour is a unit of energy. It describes how much energy is used or produced over time.
Megawatt-hour (MWh)
A megawatt-hour is 1,000 kilowatt-hours and is commonly used for larger energy quantities.
Gigawatt-hour (GWh)
A gigawatt-hour is 1,000 megawatt-hours and is used for very large energy storage or generation quantities.
Bar
Bar is a unit of pressure used for gas storage and compression conditions.
Megajoule (MJ)
A megajoule is another unit of energy often used for fuels and heating values.
Location & System Modelling
Location & System Modelling
5 termsLatitude
Latitude shows how far north or south a location is on the Earth. It affects solar conditions and climate.
Longitude
Longitude shows how far east or west a location is on the Earth.
Isentropic efficiency
Isentropic efficiency compares a compressor's real performance with an ideal thermodynamic compression process.
Compressor station
A compressor station increases gas pressure along a pipeline so hydrogen can continue moving through the transport network.
Pipeline layout
A pipeline layout is one transport design option, often defined by total distance and spacing between compressor stations.
Stakeholder Methods
Stakeholder Methods
27 termsCriterion
A criterion is a main decision area used to compare alternative solutions, such as cost, safety, or performance.
Sub-criterion
A sub-criterion is a more detailed factor within a main decision area. It breaks a broad topic into smaller comparison points.
Alternative Solution
An alternative solution is one of the options being compared in the decision tool.
Decision-maker
A decision-maker is a person or stakeholder whose priorities are included in the assessment.
Decision hierarchy
A decision hierarchy organises the overall decision into main criteria and sub-criteria so the assessment can be calculated consistently.
Influence level
Influence level describes how much weight a decision-maker's views have in the combined assessment.
Analytic hierarchy process (AHP)
AHP is a structured way to compare options by judging how important different decision areas are relative to one another.
Fuzzy AHP
Fuzzy AHP extends AHP by using fuzzy values to handle uncertainty in pairwise comparison judgements.
Pairwise comparison
Pairwise comparison asks users to compare two items at a time so the model can calculate relative importance weights.
Consistency ratio
The consistency ratio checks whether a pairwise comparison matrix is reasonably consistent or needs review.
Kano questionnaire
A Kano questionnaire helps identify which features or outcomes are basic expectations, performance drivers, or delight factors for stakeholders.
Quality attribute
A quality attribute is a Kano category that describes how a sub-criterion affects stakeholder satisfaction.
Attractive attribute
An attractive attribute increases satisfaction when present, but its absence does not usually cause strong dissatisfaction.
Must-be attribute
A must-be attribute is expected by stakeholders; missing it can cause dissatisfaction, but providing it may not greatly increase satisfaction.
One-dimensional attribute
A one-dimensional attribute increases satisfaction when performance improves and increases dissatisfaction when performance worsens.
Kano satisfaction weight
Kano satisfaction weight is the calculated importance of a sub-criterion after combining its quality attribute profile with quality attribute importance weights.
Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA)
FMEA is a structured method for identifying possible problems, their causes, their effects, and how serious or likely they are.
Failure mode
A failure mode is a specific way an alternative solution or sub-criterion could fail to perform as expected.
Severity
Severity describes how serious the effect of a failure mode would be if it happened.
Likelihood
Likelihood describes how probable a failure mode is expected to be.
Detectability
Detectability describes how easily a failure mode can be detected or controlled before it causes harm.
Risk priority number (RPN)
Risk priority number combines severity, likelihood, and detectability scores to indicate the relative risk of a failure mode.
Risk-discounted weight
A risk-discounted weight adjusts a sub-criterion weight downward when FMEA indicates higher risk for an alternative solution.
Technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS)
TOPSIS is a ranking method that scores each alternative solution based on how close it is to an ideal option and how far it is from a poor option.
Goal direction
Goal direction states whether higher or lower scores are better for a sub-criterion before TOPSIS performance scoring.
Performance score
A performance score is a decision-maker rating of how well an alternative solution performs against a sub-criterion.
Closeness coefficient
The closeness coefficient is the TOPSIS result showing how close an alternative solution is to the ideal solution.
Alternative Solution
An alternative solution is one of the options being compared in the decision tool.
Ambient temperature
Ambient temperature is the surrounding air temperature used in the model to estimate solar PV and hydrogen production conditions.
Analytic hierarchy process (AHP)
AHP is a structured way to compare options by judging how important different decision areas are relative to one another.
Attractive attribute
An attractive attribute increases satisfaction when present, but its absence does not usually cause strong dissatisfaction.
Bar
Bar is a unit of pressure used for gas storage and compression conditions.
Capital expenditure (CAPEX)
CAPEX is the upfront investment needed to build or purchase assets such as solar PV, electrolysers, pipelines, and storage infrastructure.
Carbon dioxide (CO₂)
Carbon dioxide is a major greenhouse gas released by burning many fuels.
Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e)
Carbon dioxide equivalent is a way of combining different greenhouse gases into one comparable climate impact measure.
Closeness coefficient
The closeness coefficient is the TOPSIS result showing how close an alternative solution is to the ideal solution.
Compressor LCOH
Compressor LCOH is the portion of levelised hydrogen cost associated with compression equipment and electricity use.
Compressor station
A compressor station increases gas pressure along a pipeline so hydrogen can continue moving through the transport network.
Consistency ratio
The consistency ratio checks whether a pairwise comparison matrix is reasonably consistent or needs review.
Criterion
A criterion is a main decision area used to compare alternative solutions, such as cost, safety, or performance.
Cubic metre (m³)
A cubic metre is a unit of volume used for storage capacity and gas-volume calculations.
Decision hierarchy
A decision hierarchy organises the overall decision into main criteria and sub-criteria so the assessment can be calculated consistently.
Decision-maker
A decision-maker is a person or stakeholder whose priorities are included in the assessment.
Detectability
Detectability describes how easily a failure mode can be detected or controlled before it causes harm.
Discount rate
The discount rate is used in cost modelling to account for the fact that money today is usually valued more than money in the future.
Efficiency
Efficiency describes how much useful output you get compared with the energy or resource put in. Higher efficiency means less waste.
Electrolyser
An electrolyser uses electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.
Electrolysis
Electrolysis is the process of using electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.
Environmental impact
Environmental impact describes the estimated climate-related effect of a scenario, usually shown through greenhouse gas emissions.
Failure mode
A failure mode is a specific way an alternative solution or sub-criterion could fail to perform as expected.
Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA)
FMEA is a structured method for identifying possible problems, their causes, their effects, and how serious or likely they are.
Fuzzy AHP
Fuzzy AHP extends AHP by using fuzzy values to handle uncertainty in pairwise comparison judgements.
Gigawatt-hour (GWh)
A gigawatt-hour is 1,000 megawatt-hours and is used for very large energy storage or generation quantities.
Global warming potential (GWP)
Global warming potential compares the climate impact of different greenhouse gases relative to carbon dioxide.
Goal direction
Goal direction states whether higher or lower scores are better for a sub-criterion before TOPSIS performance scoring.
Green hydrogen
Green hydrogen is hydrogen produced using renewable electricity, such as solar PV power, rather than fossil fuel energy.
Greenhouse gas (GHG)
Greenhouse gases are gases that trap heat in the atmosphere and contribute to climate change.
Hydrogen density
Hydrogen density tells you how much hydrogen mass is contained in a given volume. It is important for storage and transport calculations.
Hydrogen gravimetric energy density
Hydrogen gravimetric energy density describes how much energy is stored per unit mass of hydrogen.
Hydrogen storage medium
A hydrogen storage medium is a material or physical form used to store hydrogen, such as ammonia, methanol, liquid hydrogen, or gaseous hydrogen.
Influence level
Influence level describes how much weight a decision-maker's views have in the combined assessment.
Isentropic efficiency
Isentropic efficiency compares a compressor's real performance with an ideal thermodynamic compression process.
Kano questionnaire
A Kano questionnaire helps identify which features or outcomes are basic expectations, performance drivers, or delight factors for stakeholders.
Kano satisfaction weight
Kano satisfaction weight is the calculated importance of a sub-criterion after combining its quality attribute profile with quality attribute importance weights.
Kilogram of hydrogen (kg H₂)
Kilogram of hydrogen is a mass unit used to report how much hydrogen is produced, stored, transported, or used.
Kilowatt (kW)
A kilowatt is a unit of power. It describes the rate at which energy is generated or used.
Kilowatt-hour (kWh)
A kilowatt-hour is a unit of energy. It describes how much energy is used or produced over time.
Latitude
Latitude shows how far north or south a location is on the Earth. It affects solar conditions and climate.
Levelised cost of electricity (LCOE)
LCOE is the average lifetime cost of producing electricity, expressed per unit of electricity produced.
Levelised cost of hydrogen (LCOH)
LCOH is the average lifetime cost of producing hydrogen, expressed per unit of hydrogen produced.
Likelihood
Likelihood describes how probable a failure mode is expected to be.
Longitude
Longitude shows how far east or west a location is on the Earth.
Megajoule (MJ)
A megajoule is another unit of energy often used for fuels and heating values.
Megawatt-hour (MWh)
A megawatt-hour is 1,000 kilowatt-hours and is commonly used for larger energy quantities.
Methane (CH₄)
Methane is a greenhouse gas that has a stronger warming effect than carbon dioxide over shorter time periods.
Must-be attribute
A must-be attribute is expected by stakeholders; missing it can cause dissatisfaction, but providing it may not greatly increase satisfaction.
Nitrous oxide (N₂O)
Nitrous oxide is a greenhouse gas that can be released during fuel use and other industrial processes.
Normal cubic metre (Nm³)
A normal cubic metre is a gas volume measured under standard reference conditions, so gas quantities can be compared fairly.
One-dimensional attribute
A one-dimensional attribute increases satisfaction when performance improves and increases dissatisfaction when performance worsens.
Operating expenditure (OPEX)
OPEX is the ongoing cost of running and maintaining assets after they have been built or installed.
Pairwise comparison
Pairwise comparison asks users to compare two items at a time so the model can calculate relative importance weights.
Peak sun hours
Peak sun hours express daily solar resource as the equivalent number of hours at full sunlight intensity.
Performance score
A performance score is a decision-maker rating of how well an alternative solution performs against a sub-criterion.
Pipeline layout
A pipeline layout is one transport design option, often defined by total distance and spacing between compressor stations.
Pipeline LCOH
Pipeline LCOH is the portion of levelised hydrogen cost associated with pipeline transport infrastructure and operation.
Quality attribute
A quality attribute is a Kano category that describes how a sub-criterion affects stakeholder satisfaction.
Risk priority number (RPN)
Risk priority number combines severity, likelihood, and detectability scores to indicate the relative risk of a failure mode.
Risk-discounted weight
A risk-discounted weight adjusts a sub-criterion weight downward when FMEA indicates higher risk for an alternative solution.
Severity
Severity describes how serious the effect of a failure mode would be if it happened.
Solar photovoltaic (PV)
Solar photovoltaic systems convert sunlight into electricity using solar panels.
Sub-criterion
A sub-criterion is a more detailed factor within a main decision area. It breaks a broad topic into smaller comparison points.
System derating factor
The system derating factor represents practical losses in the solar PV system before electricity reaches the rest of the hydrogen supply chain.
Technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS)
TOPSIS is a ranking method that scores each alternative solution based on how close it is to an ideal option and how far it is from a poor option.
Total capital investment (TCI)
Total capital investment is the full upfront capital required to build a project, including major associated costs.
Total installed cost (TIC)
Total installed cost is the full cost of purchasing and installing equipment before ongoing operating costs are added.
Underground gaseous hydrogen storage
Underground gaseous hydrogen storage stores hydrogen as a gas in underground capacity, often used when large storage volumes are needed.
Utilisation factor
The utilisation factor estimates how much of the time a piece of equipment is effectively being used.
Hydrogen & Energy
12 termsSolar photovoltaic (PV)
Solar photovoltaic systems convert sunlight into electricity using solar panels.
Electrolyser
An electrolyser uses electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.
Electrolysis
Electrolysis is the process of using electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.
Green hydrogen
Green hydrogen is hydrogen produced using renewable electricity, such as solar PV power, rather than fossil fuel energy.
Efficiency
Efficiency describes how much useful output you get compared with the energy or resource put in. Higher efficiency means less waste.
System derating factor
The system derating factor represents practical losses in the solar PV system before electricity reaches the rest of the hydrogen supply chain.
Peak sun hours
Peak sun hours express daily solar resource as the equivalent number of hours at full sunlight intensity.
Ambient temperature
Ambient temperature is the surrounding air temperature used in the model to estimate solar PV and hydrogen production conditions.
Hydrogen storage medium
A hydrogen storage medium is a material or physical form used to store hydrogen, such as ammonia, methanol, liquid hydrogen, or gaseous hydrogen.
Underground gaseous hydrogen storage
Underground gaseous hydrogen storage stores hydrogen as a gas in underground capacity, often used when large storage volumes are needed.
Hydrogen gravimetric energy density
Hydrogen gravimetric energy density describes how much energy is stored per unit mass of hydrogen.
Hydrogen density
Hydrogen density tells you how much hydrogen mass is contained in a given volume. It is important for storage and transport calculations.
Economic Impact
10 termsDiscount rate
The discount rate is used in cost modelling to account for the fact that money today is usually valued more than money in the future.
Utilisation factor
The utilisation factor estimates how much of the time a piece of equipment is effectively being used.
Levelised cost of electricity (LCOE)
LCOE is the average lifetime cost of producing electricity, expressed per unit of electricity produced.
Levelised cost of hydrogen (LCOH)
LCOH is the average lifetime cost of producing hydrogen, expressed per unit of hydrogen produced.
Capital expenditure (CAPEX)
CAPEX is the upfront investment needed to build or purchase assets such as solar PV, electrolysers, pipelines, and storage infrastructure.
Operating expenditure (OPEX)
OPEX is the ongoing cost of running and maintaining assets after they have been built or installed.
Pipeline LCOH
Pipeline LCOH is the portion of levelised hydrogen cost associated with pipeline transport infrastructure and operation.
Compressor LCOH
Compressor LCOH is the portion of levelised hydrogen cost associated with compression equipment and electricity use.
Total installed cost (TIC)
Total installed cost is the full cost of purchasing and installing equipment before ongoing operating costs are added.
Total capital investment (TCI)
Total capital investment is the full upfront capital required to build a project, including major associated costs.
Environmental Impact
7 termsGreenhouse gas (GHG)
Greenhouse gases are gases that trap heat in the atmosphere and contribute to climate change.
Carbon dioxide (CO₂)
Carbon dioxide is a major greenhouse gas released by burning many fuels.
Methane (CH₄)
Methane is a greenhouse gas that has a stronger warming effect than carbon dioxide over shorter time periods.
Nitrous oxide (N₂O)
Nitrous oxide is a greenhouse gas that can be released during fuel use and other industrial processes.
Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e)
Carbon dioxide equivalent is a way of combining different greenhouse gases into one comparable climate impact measure.
Global warming potential (GWP)
Global warming potential compares the climate impact of different greenhouse gases relative to carbon dioxide.
Environmental impact
Environmental impact describes the estimated climate-related effect of a scenario, usually shown through greenhouse gas emissions.
Units
9 termsNormal cubic metre (Nm³)
A normal cubic metre is a gas volume measured under standard reference conditions, so gas quantities can be compared fairly.
Cubic metre (m³)
A cubic metre is a unit of volume used for storage capacity and gas-volume calculations.
Kilogram of hydrogen (kg H₂)
Kilogram of hydrogen is a mass unit used to report how much hydrogen is produced, stored, transported, or used.
Kilowatt (kW)
A kilowatt is a unit of power. It describes the rate at which energy is generated or used.
Kilowatt-hour (kWh)
A kilowatt-hour is a unit of energy. It describes how much energy is used or produced over time.
Megawatt-hour (MWh)
A megawatt-hour is 1,000 kilowatt-hours and is commonly used for larger energy quantities.
Gigawatt-hour (GWh)
A gigawatt-hour is 1,000 megawatt-hours and is used for very large energy storage or generation quantities.
Bar
Bar is a unit of pressure used for gas storage and compression conditions.
Megajoule (MJ)
A megajoule is another unit of energy often used for fuels and heating values.
Location & System Modelling
5 termsLatitude
Latitude shows how far north or south a location is on the Earth. It affects solar conditions and climate.
Longitude
Longitude shows how far east or west a location is on the Earth.
Isentropic efficiency
Isentropic efficiency compares a compressor's real performance with an ideal thermodynamic compression process.
Compressor station
A compressor station increases gas pressure along a pipeline so hydrogen can continue moving through the transport network.
Pipeline layout
A pipeline layout is one transport design option, often defined by total distance and spacing between compressor stations.
Stakeholder Methods
27 termsCriterion
A criterion is a main decision area used to compare alternative solutions, such as cost, safety, or performance.
Sub-criterion
A sub-criterion is a more detailed factor within a main decision area. It breaks a broad topic into smaller comparison points.
Alternative Solution
An alternative solution is one of the options being compared in the decision tool.
Decision-maker
A decision-maker is a person or stakeholder whose priorities are included in the assessment.
Decision hierarchy
A decision hierarchy organises the overall decision into main criteria and sub-criteria so the assessment can be calculated consistently.
Influence level
Influence level describes how much weight a decision-maker's views have in the combined assessment.
Analytic hierarchy process (AHP)
AHP is a structured way to compare options by judging how important different decision areas are relative to one another.
Fuzzy AHP
Fuzzy AHP extends AHP by using fuzzy values to handle uncertainty in pairwise comparison judgements.
Pairwise comparison
Pairwise comparison asks users to compare two items at a time so the model can calculate relative importance weights.
Consistency ratio
The consistency ratio checks whether a pairwise comparison matrix is reasonably consistent or needs review.
Kano questionnaire
A Kano questionnaire helps identify which features or outcomes are basic expectations, performance drivers, or delight factors for stakeholders.
Quality attribute
A quality attribute is a Kano category that describes how a sub-criterion affects stakeholder satisfaction.
Attractive attribute
An attractive attribute increases satisfaction when present, but its absence does not usually cause strong dissatisfaction.
Must-be attribute
A must-be attribute is expected by stakeholders; missing it can cause dissatisfaction, but providing it may not greatly increase satisfaction.
One-dimensional attribute
A one-dimensional attribute increases satisfaction when performance improves and increases dissatisfaction when performance worsens.
Kano satisfaction weight
Kano satisfaction weight is the calculated importance of a sub-criterion after combining its quality attribute profile with quality attribute importance weights.
Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA)
FMEA is a structured method for identifying possible problems, their causes, their effects, and how serious or likely they are.
Failure mode
A failure mode is a specific way an alternative solution or sub-criterion could fail to perform as expected.
Severity
Severity describes how serious the effect of a failure mode would be if it happened.
Likelihood
Likelihood describes how probable a failure mode is expected to be.
Detectability
Detectability describes how easily a failure mode can be detected or controlled before it causes harm.
Risk priority number (RPN)
Risk priority number combines severity, likelihood, and detectability scores to indicate the relative risk of a failure mode.
Risk-discounted weight
A risk-discounted weight adjusts a sub-criterion weight downward when FMEA indicates higher risk for an alternative solution.
Technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS)
TOPSIS is a ranking method that scores each alternative solution based on how close it is to an ideal option and how far it is from a poor option.
Goal direction
Goal direction states whether higher or lower scores are better for a sub-criterion before TOPSIS performance scoring.
Performance score
A performance score is a decision-maker rating of how well an alternative solution performs against a sub-criterion.
Closeness coefficient
The closeness coefficient is the TOPSIS result showing how close an alternative solution is to the ideal solution.
No matching terms.