Current plant-level industrial decarbonization studies evaluating onsite renewables and storage often overlook broader supply chain and economy-wide impacts. This study proposes an integrated decision framework coupling a multi objective mixed integer linear programming model for onsite photovoltaic, electrolysis, hydrogen storage, and fuel cell with environmentally extended input output (EEIO) accounting. The optimization minimizes life cycle system cost, reduces grid CO 2 emissions, and generates a Pareto frontier across increasing levels of grid displacement for a representative small and medium sized manufacturer. Results reveal strongly nonlinear tradeoffs: photovoltaic dominant designs deliver substantial emissions reductions at relatively low incremental cost, whereas deeper decarbonization requires hydrogen production and large storage capacity, leading to diminishing marginal abatement returns and sharply rising capital intensity. To quantify broader consequences, selected Pareto solutions are evaluated in a national domestic EEIO model to estimate sectoral output, value added, and embodied greenhouse gas emissions attributable to the required equipment and balance of plant components. Embodied emissions increase disproportionately as storage scales, but cumulative avoided operational CO 2 over the project life remains larger even in near zero grid use scenarios, indicating net climate benefits alongside upstream impact shifts. By linking operationally feasible design and dispatch decisions with supply chain and economy wide metrics, the framework provides a case-based decision support approach for industrial decarbonization planning. The quantitative results are specific to a representative Ohio SMM under the adopted U.S. modeling boundary, while the broader value of the study lies in revealing the directional trade-offs associated with deeper electrification. • Integrated MILP optimization with EEIO to assess industrial decarbonization • PV systems deliver low cost early abatement; hydrogen enables deep decarbonization • Hydrogen storage sharply increases capital intensity and embodied emissions • Investment impacts propagate through domestic supply chains and value added • Framework links plant design decisions with economy wide environmental impacts
Paudel et al. (Fri,) studied this question.