Feasibility of Renewable Hydrogen Based Energy Supply for a District

Renewable generation technologies (e.g. photovoltaic panels (PV)) are often installed in buildings and districts with an aim to decrease their carbon emissions and consumption of non-renewable energy. However, due to a mismatch between supply and demand at an hourly but also on a seasonal timescale; a large amount of electricity is exported to the grid rather than used to offset local demand. A solution to this is local storage of electricity for subsequent self-consumption. This could additionally provide districts with new business opportunities, financial stability, flexibility and reliability.
In this paper the feasibility of hydrogen based electricity storage for a district is evaluated. The district energy system (DES) includes PV and hybrid photovoltaic panels (PVT). The proposed storage system consists of production of hydrogen using the renewable electricity generated within the district, hydrogen storage, and subsequent use in a fuel cell. Combination of battery storage along with hydrogen conversion and storage is also evaluated. A multi-energy optimization approach is used to model the DES. Results of the model are optimal battery capacity, electrolyzer capacity, hydrogen storage capacity, fuel cell capacity and energy flows through the system. The model is also used to compare different system design configurations. The results of this analysis show that both battery capacity and conversion of electricity to hydrogen enable the district to decrease its carbon emissions by approximately 22% when compared to the reference case with no energy storage.