Energy storage based upon converting electricity from water to hydrogen gas provides a solution to the problem of intermittency in renewable energy systems. These benefits are not specific to isolated solar and wind energy production but can also be derived as a complement to load and demand variations on the fully integrated electrical grid. The main components of this system are electrolytic cells, which use electricity to generate hydrogen and oxygen from water, compressed gas hydrogen and oxygen storage tanks and fuel cells, which recombine hydrogen with oxygen to generate electricity.At times of excess energy availability, electrolytic cells are used as a controllable load by which the excess energy is converted into hydrogen and oxygen gas. When there is insufficient energy to meet demands, the fuel cell is used to recombine hydrogen and oxygen into water and create electricity. Water storage and compressed gasses can be used to further tune the load. Water can be pumped from one reservoir to another to create artificial demand, and can be allowed to flow by gravitational power to create electricity on demand. Compressed gasses can similarly be managed to create load or increase generation capacity at will. These complements are key to effectively managing electrolytic cell arrays for maximum potential, but also provide for very high versatility and resilience of the system, which can allow operators to micro-manage electrical supplies and demands. This work examines the technical details of such systems and extracts some of the lessons learned from more than fifty years of related research, prototyping and implementations. Keywords-electrolysis; fuel cell; hydrogen; energy storage.I.
Energy Northwest currently owns facilities which were constructed with the intention of implementing nuclear power production operations. Four of the five nuclear power plants envisioned and constructed during the 1970's and early 1980's were not completed and have never been utilized for power production. The halted construction was cause for the largest obligation bond failure in US history. These facilities are ideally suited to implementation of another energy related project which should be much less controversial.One of the most challenging aspect of electrical power distribution is matching energy supplies with demands. With nuclear power, the output can be reduced to avoid overproduction during seasons when hydroelectric production must be increased to reduce water levels. Unfortunately, when that output is dampened, the energy which is not produced is completely wasted. Reduced nuclear power production does not cost less to operate, or extend the lifetime of the fuel. Other forms of clean energy, including wind and photovoltaic production, are much less able to be tuned to demand.The unused nuclear facilities on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation are perfect for the electrolysis of water and hydrogenoxygen fuel cell operations. They are well located and connected to necessary infrastructure, well-constructed and durably designed, and are sitting empty as idle assets ready to be retrofit and occupied. This work examines the requirements for such an implementation.This proposal is for an energy storage facility, it does not suggest that all power used to produce hydrogen for storage come from the Columbia Generating Station. A significant amount of unused potential energy from many diverse sources is currently being wasted on a regular basis. The grid connected storage of that energy from many sources provides efficiency advantages for the entire complex electrical grid.
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