Abstract
Recently, smart energy hubs with hydrogen conversion and storage have received increased attention in the Netherlands. The hydrogen is to be used for vehicle filling stations, industrial processes and heating. The scientific problem addressed in this paper is the proper sizing of capacities for renewable energy generation, hydrogen conversion and storage in relation to a feasible business case for the energy hub while achieving security of supply. Scenario analysis is often used during the early stages of the energy planning process, and for this an easy-to-use analysis model is required. This paper investigates available modelling approaches and develops an algorithmic modelling method which is worked out in Microsoft Excel and offers ease of use for scenario analysis purposes. The model is applied to case study, which leads to important insights such as the expected price of hydrogen and the proper sizing of electrolyser and hydrogen storage for that case. The model is made available open-source. Future work is proposed in the direction of application of the model for other project cases and comparison of results with other available modelling tools.
Highlights
Due to worldwide climate change caused by CO2 emissions from fossil fuels, there is an urgency to change energy systems towards 100% renewable energy, as explained in [1].An energy hub is a possible system concept to reach this goal and is defined in [2,3] as a local production, conversion, storage and consumption system with different energy carriers, i.e., electricity, heat and fuel(s)
The purpose of this paper is to develop insights into how business case analysis of energy hubs can be supported by a model with reduced complexity
The scientific problem we address is the lack of an easy-to-use analysis tool to perform business case scenario analysis and grid congestion analysis of energy hub systems that include renewable power generation, hydrogen conversion and storage and supply of electric and hydrogen demands
Summary
Due to worldwide climate change caused by CO2 emissions from fossil fuels, there is an urgency to change energy systems towards 100% renewable energy, as explained in [1].An energy hub is a possible system concept to reach this goal and is defined in [2,3] as a local production, conversion, storage and consumption system with different energy carriers, i.e., electricity, heat and fuel(s). Hydrogen is one of the possible fuel outputs of an energy hub and is a valuable molecule for chemical industries, as fuel for industrial high temperature processes, mobility or heat for the built environment, as explained in [4,5]. Hydrogen can be stored for longer periods of time at high pressures or as a liquid fuel, e.g., ammonia or methanol, according to [6] These properties make hydrogen an almost ideal energy carrier and storage medium within an energy hub, for instance, to solve a seasonal imbalance between high amounts of renewable energy generation from solar PV during the summer months and high energy demands during the winter months, as demonstrated in [7]. Available online: https://www.emd-international.com/energypro/ (accessed on 23 September 2021). Available online: https://www.homerenergy.com/products/pro/index.html (accessed on 23 September 2021). Available online: https://oemof.org/ (accessed on 23 September 2021)
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