The opensource calculator enables users to quickly assess multiple hydrogen production pathways and acts as a first step in the user’s journey from ideation to project execution. It focuses on cradle-to-gate greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions and simplifies early analysis of hydrogen production projects.

Interest around hydrogen production has never been higher, due in large part to the clean hydrogen tax credits included in the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

New and existing hydrogen producers, consumers, and project developers are actively seeking to identify and quantify the impacts that the tax credits will have on project economics and feasibility.

The Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Technologies (GREET) Model from Argonne National Laboratory is the official model that will be used to qualify a project for tax credit eligibility.

However, going through that process is both labour and time intensive. Interested parties need a straightforward way to screen multiple technology alternatives and help guide resource allocation for new projects and businesses.

CarbonModel.com offers a user-friendly tool that estimates GHG emissions and project costs in as little as 60 seconds. Organisations can use the carbon intensity and cost estimates from the website to help them quickly determine which projects are favourable and whether they should commit to full project analysis using the GREET Model.

Syzygy CEO Trevor Best said the IRA is “a major tailwind” that will accelerate the energy transition and hydrogen adoption.

He said, “Existing hydrogen producers now have the fiscal support needed to sanction new projects. And companies that had been mulling hydrogen as a new business are incentivised to move more quickly. Both existing and new entrants in the hydrogen market want to know if their hydrogen is clean enough to qualify for IRA tax credits. They need to weigh credit generation potential heavily in their investment decisions.”

Murtuza Marfan, Vice President of Finance and Corporate Development, said the tools that examine specific processes are demanding and complex.

He said they typically require significant knowledge, time, and investment to operate, which can cause delays in the sanctioning of projects or even disengagement if the mechanisms and factors for credit generation are not quickly understood.

“CarbonModel.com simplifies early-stage analysis,” he said. “We see it contributing to the momentum from the IRA by enabling organisations to quickly assess project viability. It will also help them address any gaps in knowledge before committing to full-project modeling.”

The current version focuses specifically on hydrogen production and future plans include adding cost and carbon footprint assessments for producing ammonia, e-fuels, and other foundational chemicals.