Integrated energy converter for green hydrogen production using renewable energies and high-cycle energy storage
Duration: 2023-2027
The proposed solution is a multiport power converter to achieve a stand-alone green hydrogen system without requiring a grid connection, coupling three key technologies:
- Solar PV generation plant
- Electrolyzer (PEM or Alkaline)
- Flywheel energy storage system (FESS)
The integrated solution solves the following issues:
- Allows off-grid green hydrogen production, enabling its use in remote regions or just becoming independent from the network with thermal nuances.
- Solves the PV intermittency by the FESS, which is a high-cycle energy storage system to address the source fluctuations along the day.
- Reduces the power conversion stages bringing several technical, operational and economical advantages.
Important note: the proposed solution is focused on the operation of the electrolyzer during the day where there is solar resource. For a 24-hour operation, additional renewable generation (e.g., hydraulic or wind) and/or complementary high-capacity storage systems (batteries or even hydrogen itself) are required, which is addable to the proposal but would increase costs substantially.
Director: Javier Pereda
Deputy Director: Félix Rojas
