Fluctuation Analysis of a Complementary Wind–Solar Energy System and Integration for Large Scale Hydrogen Production

Abstract

Producing hydrogen by water electrolysis with solar and wind energy will be one of the main methods of hydrogen production. The inherent intermittency and volatility are, however, the biggest obstacles to the utilization of these low-carbon resources. This limitation leads to an urgent need for fundamental analysis and system integration of renewable energy sources. In this paper, the random fluctuations of wind and solar energy were characterized by the spectral analysis method to explore underlying laws within. The base models of wind power and photoelectric (PV) power were defined to reveal the intermittent characteristics and phase difference. On this basis, we proposed the theoretical foundation of wind–PV complementation. For a case study, an industrial-scale wind–solar to hydrogen system (WPTH) is proposed to provide high-purity hydrogen. We chose the hydrogen production scale of the system to be 3.4 t/h with a fluctuation of hydrogen supply less than 7.5%, according to the reasonable unit capacity configuration. Through life cycle model analysis, the carbon footprint of this process is 1.19 kg CO2/kg H2, far lower than that of coal based hydrogen production. On the other hand, this process is found to have the close cost of 3.59 $/kg H2 to that of coal based processes.

Layered FeCoNi double hydroxides with tailored surface electronic configurations induced by oxygen and unsaturated metal vacancies for boosting the overall water splitting process

“…[1][2][3][4][5] At present, there are some challenges of hydrogen energy utilization such as its production, storage, transportation and conversion. [6][7][8] Regarding hydrogen production, electrochemical water splitting (or water electrolysis) using clean electricity generated from clean and sustainable energy sources such as solar, wind, waterfall, seawave, geothermal, etc. has been recognized as the main method for the future.…”

Benchmarking Phases of Ruthenium Dichalcogenides for Electrocatalysis of Hydrogen Evolution: Theoretical and Experimental Insights

“…Fortunately, power-to-gas projects have been strongly encouraged, aiming to convert such fluctuating energy into hydrogen gas via water electrolysis. [1][2][3] The hydrogen can easily be stored in pressurized tanks, serving as a raw material for the chemical industry or for the synthesis of various hydrocarbon fuels, but also being reconverted to electricity when needed via fuel cells. [4,5] Traditional water electrolysis devices usually operate using liquid electrolyte, which has several drawbacks, including electrolyte leakage, sensitivity to CO 2 (especially in alkaline conditions), and low stability.…”

Structures and properties of polymers in ion exchange membranes for hydrogen generation by water electrolysis

“…Advantageously, any conventional or renewable energy source, like solar, wind, water, and so forth, can be integrated with an electrolyzer to produce hydrogen of high purity (>99.9%) by water electrolysis (WE). 11,12 Electrolysis is a technique that employs DC to electrolyte in order to decompose materials at the electrodes through chemical reactions.…”

“…Moreover, water is considered as a perfect and preferred source of hydrogen due to its ample and easy accessibility. Advantageously, any conventional or renewable energy source, like solar, wind, water, and so forth, can be integrated with an electroly z er to produce hydrogen of high purity (>99.9%) by water electrolysis (WE) 11,12 …”