Wind-hydrogen systems providing balancing powerWith an increasing share in the energy mix, the integration of power generated by wind farms can cause problems in respect to its feeding into the grid. The reason is the wind's intermittent nature and, as a consequence thereof, the lack of predictability in the generation of power. It is, hence, expected that the demand for balancing power derived from fossil fuels will increase in the future. In addition, the amount of renewable power generated at peak-times (high winds) cannot be sufficiently taken up by the grid due to limited capacities. One possible solution to balance these fluctuations in renewable generation is to "store" wind energy chemically in hydrogen produced by electrolysis. This hydrogen can be reconverted into electricity using fuel cells or it is sold to other energy sectors, e.g. as fuel for road vehicles (see the projects HyFLEET:CUTE and CUTE). The main goal of HyWindBalance was to develop and demonstrate such a wind-hydrogen system for energy storage.
Central elements of such systems are appropriate control algorithms and optimal operation strategies under different meteorological, technical and economic circumstances. Wind and demand forecasts are used.
Wind-hydrogen systems can balance the fluctuations in energy production of wind farms and provide scheduled peak or balancing power. HyWindBalance involved planning and operating a pilot plant at the Energy Laboratory of the University of Oldenburg that consisted of an electrolyser, pressure vessels, a fuel cell and control software. |
