Abstract: Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) represents the only near-term decarbonisation pathway for long-haul aviation that is fully compatible with existing aircraft and fuel infrastructure. Among the available production routes, power-to-liquid (PtL) SAF relies fundamentally on the large-scale availability of renewable green hydrogen, making hydrogen production a critical cost and emissions driver of the entire SAF value chain. Leveraging Australia’s exceptional solar resources and strategic decarbonisation priorities, this study presents an integrated techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life-cycle assessment (LCA) of green hydrogen production, compression, transport, and storage across complete PtL supply chains. The analysis identifies key cost, energy, and emissions contributors, evaluates system-level trade-offs, and highlights opportunities for improving economic viability and environmental performance. The results demonstrate the central role of green hydrogen in enabling competitive, low-carbon SAF production in Australia and provide quantitative insights to support investment decisions, infrastructure planning, and policy development for aviation decarbonisation.
Keywords: Green Hydrogen; Proton exchange membrane; Technoeconomic assessment; Alkaline electrolyzer; Renewable energy; Australia; Solar; Wind.