Bridging Dark Doldrums with Metal Hydride Hydrogen Storage and Vehicle-to-Home Technology

Abstract:
The growing use of renewable energy sources (RES) can be challenging during periods of low energy output, such as dark doldrums. To address the need for energy storage and flexible demand response, this study proposes a new approach to stabilize energy supply by combining metal hydride hydrogen storage- (MHHS) based energy storage systems with vehicle-to-home (V2H) technology and dynamic electricity pricing. We employ a dynamic simulation approach to calculate the required component dimensions of an apartment building's (AP) MHHS-based energy storage system (ESS) to overcome dark doldrums. The analysis compares battery and fuel cell electric vehicles with V2H power delivering capability, exploring load shifting and cost reduction potentials. The results show that a 7.8 kg H2 MHHS system can cover the energy demand for 14 hours of the building. By storing energy during low-price periods and using it during high-price periods, the combination of ESS and V2H achieves an energy cost savings of 2.5% (BEV) and 2.4% (FCEV), corresponding to an energy shift of 518 kWh and 678 kWh, respectively. This analysis highlights the benefits of combining MHHSbased energy storage with V2H technology and dynamic pricing, offering a pathway for increased energy resilience and reduced energy costs for apartment buildings.