US DOE awards for hydrogen production and FCEV systems

Abstract

Operation of the hydrogen filling station at Herøya, Porsgrunn, Norway is reported and analysed in this paper. A 12 bar(g) pressurised alkaline electrolyser with a nominal load of 24 kW provides hydrogen for this filling station and is designed to work with time variable power from renewable resources. Two wind turbines rated at 6 kW each and two solar panels rated at 2.5 kW each are available on site to provide the power for hydrogen production which can then be used to supply a number of fuel cell and modified Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles. The station has a hydrogen storage capacity of 6.3 m3 in pressurised tanks at 450 bar(g).As a part of the authors’ experimental work, operational data and the characteristics of the pressurised alkaline electrolyser installed at the site under different operational modes have been collected and analysed. The archival value of this paper is the presentation and discussion of the electrolyser characteristics which are relevant to the identification of an acceptable control strategy to integrate such electrolyser loads within the power system and thus provide improved performance of the power system when exposed to the highly time variable energy supply from renewable sources.