Case Study - Stand-Alone Energy Systems based on Hydrogen Production

Energy storage can play an important role in the development and operation of environmentally friendly renewable energy (RE) systems. The integrated wind and solar energy system, based on long-term seasonal storage of electrolytic hydrogen (H2), is considered as a promising solution to overcome the limitations associated with the intermittency of the RE sources. In comparison to commonly used battery storage, H2 is well suited for seasonal storage, because of its inherent high mass energy density and longevity of energy storage (compared to batteries). A stand-alone RE system based on hydrogen production from wind and solar energy has been developed and installed at the Hydrogen Research Institute (HRI). It includes a fuel cell and both short-term and long-term energy storage devices. It is the goal of this project to demonstrate that an autonomous renewable energy system may be realized with long-term energy storage in the form of hydrogen, and that the operation of such a system is safe and reliable.