A Fully Renewable and Efficient Backup Power System with a Hydrogen-biodiesel-fueled IC Engine

Renewable energy is free, abundant, clean and could contribute towards a significant reduction of the global warming emissions. It is massively introduced as a source of electricity production across the globe and is expected to become the primary source of energy within the following decades. However, despite the naturally replenished energy, the supply is not always available. For this reason, it is necessary at times of excess energy, any surplus quantity to be sufficiently captured, stored and later used when a deficit occurs. In this paper, an overview of a backup power system operating with a hydrogen-biodiesel dual-fuel internal combustion engine is provided. The system is utilizing the organic chemical hydride method for safe hydrogen storage and transportation. The high energy content of hydrogen stored in the form of an organic hydride under ambient conditions makes it an ideal energy backup medium for large-scale and long-term applications. The research work focusses on the operation and emissions output of the dual-fuel internal combustion engine running on fully renewable fuels and the results are compared with the conventional petroleum-derived diesel engine. Biodiesel-hydrogen operation shows significant benefits in the reduction of carbon and soot emissions but deteriorates the NOx formation compared to the conventional diesel-powered engines. The operation of the engine at high loads can provide high exhaust thermal energy while alternative combustion strategies are necessary to be implemented at low load conditions for the optimum operation of the backup power system.