Electrolyzers Enhancing Flexibility in Electric Grids

Manish Mohanpurkar, Yusheng Luo, Danny Terlip, Fernando Dias, Kevin Harrison, Joshua Eichman, Rob Hovsapian and Jennifer Kurtz
Additional contact information
Manish Mohanpurkar: Idaho National Laboratory, 2525 Fremont Ave, Idaho Falls, ID 83402, USA
Yusheng Luo: Idaho National Laboratory, 2525 Fremont Ave, Idaho Falls, ID 83402, USA
Danny Terlip: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 15013 Denver W Pkwy, Golden, CO 80401, USA
Fernando Dias: Idaho National Laboratory, 2525 Fremont Ave, Idaho Falls, ID 83402, USA
Kevin Harrison: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 15013 Denver W Pkwy, Golden, CO 80401, USA
Joshua Eichman: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 15013 Denver W Pkwy, Golden, CO 80401, USA
Rob Hovsapian: Idaho National Laboratory, 2525 Fremont Ave, Idaho Falls, ID 83402, USA
Jennifer Kurtz: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 15013 Denver W Pkwy, Golden, CO 80401, USA

Energies, 2017, vol. 10, issue 11, 1-17

Abstract: This paper presents a real-time simulation with a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL)-based approach for verifying the performance of electrolyzer systems in providing grid support. Hydrogen refueling stations may use electrolyzer systems to generate hydrogen and are proposed to have the potential of becoming smarter loads that can proactively provide grid services. On the basis of experimental findings, electrolyzer systems with balance of plant are observed to have a high level of controllability and hence can add flexibility to the grid from the demand side. A generic front end controller (FEC) is proposed, which enables an optimal operation of the load on the basis of market and grid conditions. This controller has been simulated and tested in a real-time environment with electrolyzer hardware for a performance assessment. It can optimize the operation of electrolyzer systems on the basis of the information collected by a communication module. Real-time simulation tests are performed to verify the performance of the FEC-driven electrolyzers to provide grid support that enables flexibility, greater economic revenue, and grid support for hydrogen producers under dynamic conditions. The FEC proposed in this paper is tested with electrolyzers, however, it is proposed as a generic control topology that is applicable to any load.

Keywords: smarter load; front end controller; grid services; hydrogen (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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