Comparative Analysis Study of Greenhouse Gas Emission and Cost from H₂-GHP and CH₄-GHP

GHP, fueled by natural gas, emits pollutants such as CO, NO_x, and THC. For this reason, regulations on CH₄-GHP have been implemented in Korea, and as the need for installing emission reduction devices on existing CH₄-GHP units increases, additional installation costs are expected. In contrast, hydrogen-powered GHP emits mainly NO_x, which can be minimized through lean combustion. This study aimed to identify operating conditions for hydrogen engines that satisfy South Korea’s GHP regulations and to compare H₂-GHP with conventional CH₄-GHP. The analysis revealed that when operating a 16 HP GHP for 1 h, CH₄-GHP emitted approximately 23% fewer greenhouse gases in the fuel cycle compared to H₂-GHP and required one-third of the fuel cost. This indicates that, at present, H₂-GHP is less competitive than CH₄-GHP. However, the transition to a blue and green hydrogen economy, where CO₂ emissions and production costs for hydrogen decrease, could enhance the competitiveness of H₂-GHP over CH₄-GHP.