A structured analysis of grid scenarios and power market data to establish requirements for hydrogen storage power plants

Abstract:
Volatile renewable energy sources require a support storage system to meet the continuous power demand in an electrified society. One of these storage systems could be a hydrogen storage power plant (HSPP). Previous research on dimensioning HSPPs has been focused on the provision of ancillary services and the resulting requirements on the components. This work’s concern is the balancing of intra-day and seasonal power demand and supply using HSPP during and after full transition to renewable energy. Therefore, the load profiles of the past five years are used and extrapolated to fit a possible future load profile. The analysis shows that certain previously made assumptions are not backed by most recent data and scenarios, e.g. overestimation of operation hours of electrolysers and underestimation of interim periods of grid support by fuel cells. Furthermore, the research provides insights into the changes along the path of the transition towards emission-free power generation.