"Green hydrogen plants: Digital twin-based design and operational optimization will be a key means of securing competitiveness in the clean hydrogen market."

At the webinar titled "Digital Strategies for a Sustainable Hydrogen Economy" held on the 25th, Hong Jeong-pyo, Head of Siemens Digital Industries, introduced digital solutions and practical application cases covering the entire process of hydrogen production, storage, transportation, and utilization.

Director Hong first looked into the current state of the hydrogen economy at home and abroad.

Currently, domestic hydrogen production is mainly based on fossil fuels, such as oil refining and petrochemical processes, steam methane reforming (SMR), naphtha cracking, and propane dehydrogenation (PDH), with the proportion of clean hydrogen being minimal.

The government has been operating both the general hydrogen and clean hydrogen markets in parallel by introducing the Clean Hydrogen Power Generation Mandatory System (CHPS) starting in 2023. However, participation in the initial bidding was low due to the burden of price and contract terms.

He emphasized, “Expanding clean hydrogen is an essential task for achieving carbon neutrality and ESG goals,” and “Technological and economic optimization to lower the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) is key.”.

To this end, Siemens presented the concept of a 'digital H₂ plant' that addresses three challenges: △feasibility study, △scalability, and △operational efficiency.

Siemens' digital twin technology replicates a plant's physical assets and processes in a virtual environment, enabling design, simulation, and operational optimization.

It is not a simple 3D model, but a 'living model' that combines physics-based simulation and real-time data.

This technology offers substantial environmental, economic and technological benefits.

Optimize energy flow and resource use at the design stage to reduce unnecessary fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, and integrate variable renewable energy sources reliably to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

In addition, LCOH is reduced by up to 12% through design and operation optimization, and CAPEX and OPEX are simultaneously reduced by reducing overinvestment in facilities and unnecessary maintenance.

Virtual commissioning can help prevent construction delays and cost overruns, and simulate various market and fuel price scenarios to analyze investment payback periods and profitability in advance.

High-fidelity modeling of key equipment such as electrolyzers, chemical reactors, and compressors predicts results that are nearly identical to actual operating conditions.

Design changes are automatically reflected across all departments to maintain data consistency, and predictive maintenance combined with real-time data enables early detection of component performance degradation.

It presents the optimal operation schedule on a daily basis by reflecting weather, electricity price, and demand fluctuations, and through modularization and standardization, it is expected to be used in the future. It is also easy to expand facilities.

Key tools include: Energy System Design (MMESD), Physics-Based Process Simulation (G-Proms), Integrated Engineering Platform (Comos), Distributed Control System (PCS 7), and Operations Dashboard (HyDrogen Performance Suite).


The Wunsiedel plant is a real-world example of digital twins. This plant is a joint venture with Siemens and produces hydrogen using 100% renewable energy (wind and solar) based on an 8.75MW PEM electrolyzer (Silyzer 300).

Wunsiedel is a region in Germany where renewable energy utilization and carbon neutrality experiments are active, and this plant is considered a representative example of the commercialization of green hydrogen.

The tour featured a 360-degree view of the electrolyzer module, gas separator, desalination plant, compression and storage system, and safety and ventilation equipment.

“This plant has been verified in advance by applying digital twins from the design stage to respond to power supply fluctuations, optimize cooling and refining processes, and improve compression and storage efficiency,” explained Vice President Hong. “Even during actual operation, we are deriving optimal operating conditions by combining real-time data and virtual models.”

He cited "a full portfolio covering the entire project lifecycle, from initial design to operational optimization," as a strength compared to other companies.

It goes beyond providing a single process or equipment, and provides consistent data and platforms for energy system design, process simulation, integrated engineering, and operational management.

Director Hong Jeong-pyo stated, “Design and operation optimization based on digital twins will be a key means of securing competitiveness in the future clean hydrogen market,” adding, “It can be of practical help not only to the hydrogen industry, but also to industries with high potential for hydrogen utilization, such as renewable energy, steel, and petrochemicals.”