| Hydropower & other renewables
Left: A graphic to show the benefits of integrating hydrogen with hydropower
By using the excess oxygen gathered from the
electrolysis process, hydroelectric plants can increase oxygen levels downriver without spilling water from the reservoir or needing to purchase oxygen for dissolved oxygen level mitigation.
Making it a reality INL, PNNL and Idaho Power are taking the first step
toward realising these benefits by analysing the economic and environmental impacts of integrating hydrogen production with hydropower. The project team will use advanced modeling and analytical tools to explore various deployment scenarios and maximise the benefits of hydropower-based hydrogen production. Researchers will evaluate the cost of producing
hydrogen using different electrolyser technologies. The calculations will factor in variations in the supply and market pricing of the electrical power produced by various hydroelectric assets. The different characteristics of electrolyser
technologies, such as energy efficiency, capital cost and their ability to ramp from standby to full hydrogen production, are important factors to consider in selecting the best technology for different hydrogen production and use-case scenarios. The team will consider the costs of hydrogen storage and transporting the hydrogen product to other prospective end-use applications, such as transportation fuel or chemical production. Finally, the team will investigate dynamic operating strategies that optimise the environmental and economic benefits of a prospective coupled
hydropower plant and hydrogen production facility. The team also hopes to satisfy constraints associated with hydropower resource availability, power plant and electrolyser capacities, and the demands associated with different hydrogen use cases. “To effectively schedule hydrogen production, advanced modeling and optimisation techniques are required to account for both energy shifting opportunities and oxygen needs subject to both system- and component-level constraints,” said Di Wu, a chief research engineer and the technical lead at PNNL. Researchers at INL will use a Department of Energy
software tool proven to be effective for techno- economic evaluation of other hydrogen production and usage applications. The tool, Hydrogen Analysis (H2A), can perform screening studies of the most promising electrolysis technologies and hydrogen use cases. H2A allows the user to access all calculations and check intermediate results. PNNL researchers will build on the results of the
screening study to model and optimise the hydrogen production system. Through the Hydrogen Energy Storage Evaluation Tool and data analysis, INL and PNNL researchers will determine how to implement the right set of technologies to achieve best performance. “While hydroelectric power generation and applications that utilize hydrogen sources both offer immense economic and environmental benefits, combining the two offers new opportunities for enhancing grid stability, improving environmental outcomes and creating a cleaner energy economy,” Wendt said.
www.waterpowermagazine.com | January 2024 | 27
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37
