The future role of Power-to-Gas in the energy transition: Regional and local techno-economic analyses in Baden-Württemberg

McKenna, Russell; Bchini, Quentin; Weinand, Jann Michael; Michaelis, Julia; König, S.; Köppel, W.; Fïchtner, Wolf

doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2017.12.017

Cited by 100 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Operating electrolyzers in a variable way to align with renewables' variability is possible in principle. Yet, due to their high investment cost, the economics of electrolyzers demand high utilisation rates, and 'peak shaving', i.e., using electrolyzers to produce hydrogen from limited peaks in intermittent generation, is therefore economically not competitive [7]. Also, the quantities of hydrogen produced would be relatively small if only otherwise curtailed electricity is used.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hydrogen storage has also been shown to mitigate the problem of hydro-peaking [25] and to lower the spilling of water in hydropower cascades [26]. In most studies, hydrogen is assumed to be operated on surplus renewable electricity [7,[27][28][29] and existing studies have typically focused on the potential use of hydrogen for system integration of intermittent renewables. A limited amount of studies have assessed the production profile of renewable hydrogen production for industrial purposes [30][31][32].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Attaining stable electrolyzer operation under multi-annual climatic variations in almost fully renewable electricity systems: the case of Sweden

Mikovits¹,

Wetterlund²,

Baumgärtner³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Hydrogen produced from renewable electricity can play an important role in deep decarbonization of industry, such as primary steel-making. However, adding large electrolyzer capacities to a low-carbon electricity system also increases the need for additional renewable electricity generation which will mostly come from variable renewable energies (VRE). This will require hydrogen production to be variable, unless sufficient flexibility is provided by other sources. Existing sources of flexibility in hydro-thermal systems are (a) hydropower and (b) thermal generation. However, increasing the flexibility of hydropower generation may have negative consequences for river ecosystems and the use of fossil and non-fossil fuels in generation may increase if thermal power is increasingly used to balance short-falls in wind power during electrolyzer operation. We assess here for our Swedish case study the utilization of electrolyzers with a dispatch model, assuming that additional VRE generation matches the additional electricity demand of hydrogen production on average. The flexibility of hydropower and thermal generation is restricted in four scenarios, and we run our model for 29 different weather years to test the impact of variable weather regimes. We show that (a) in all scenarios, electrolyzer utilization is above 60% on average, (b) the inter-annual variability of hydrogen production is very high if thermal power is not dispatched for electrolysis, (c) this problem is aggravated if hydropower flexibility is also restricted, and therefore (d) either long-term storage of hydrogen, backup hydrogen sources, or additional flexibility measures may be necessary to guarantee continuous hydrogen flows, and (e) adding wind power and electrolysis decreases the need for other backup flexibility measures in the system during climatic extreme events.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attaining stable electrolyzer operation under multi-annual climatic variations in almost fully renewable electricity systems: the case of Sweden

Mikovits¹,

Wetterlund²,

Baumgärtner³

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Synthesis of hydrogen and carbon dioxide to produce methane [13] or liquid hydrocarbons [9] has to use GHG-free hydrogen and non-fossil CO 2 feedstock, to qualify as GHG-free. The potential of hydrogen or hydrogen-based synthetic fuels has been analyzed in several studies with a focus either on national [14][15][16][17], regional [18] or global scale [19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Energy System Modelling of Carbon-Neutral Hydrogen as an Enabler of Sectoral Integration within a Decarbonization Pathway

et al. 2019

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This paper explores the alternative roles hydrogen can play in the future European Union (EU) energy system, within the transition towards a carbon-neutral EU economy by 2050, following the latest policy developments after the COP21 agreement in Paris in 2015. Hydrogen could serve as an end-use fuel, a feedstock to produce carbon-neutral hydrocarbons and a carrier of chemical storage of electricity. We apply a model-based energy system analysis to assess the advantages and drawbacks of these three roles of hydrogen in a decarbonized energy system. To this end, the paper quantifies projections of the energy system using an enhanced version of the PRIMES energy system model, up to 2050, to explore the best elements of each role under various assumptions about deployment and maturity of hydrogen-related technologies. Hydrogen is an enabler of sectoral integration of supply and demand of energy, and hence an important pillar in the carbon-neutral energy system. The results show that the energy system has benefits both in terms of CO2 emission reductions and total system costs if hydrogen technology reaches high technology readiness levels and economies of scale. Reaching maturity requires a significant investment, which depends on the positive anticipation of market development. The choice of policy options facilitating visibility by investors is the focus of the modelling in this paper.

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“…stated that Power to Methane is expected to be an option in the next decades on a local level due to the restrictions for injecting hydrogen into the gas network [14]. However, the smart management of the intermittent and fluctuating surplus, the variable consumption of power and heat and the storage of intermediate and final species is a very complex challenge to reach an integrated network that guarantees the stability of supply with a positive economic balance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decision-making methodology for managing photovoltaic surplus electricity through Power to Gas: Combined heat and power in urban buildings

et al. 2018

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Power to Gas technology, which converts surplus electricity into synthetic methane, is a promising alternative to overcome the fluctuating behavior of renewable energies. Hybridization with oxy-fuel combustion provides the CO 2 flow required in the methanation process and allows supplying both heat and electricity, keeping the CO 2 in a closed loop. The complexity of these facilities makes their management a key factor to be economically viable. This work presents a decision-making methodology to size and manage a cogeneration system that combines solar photovoltaic, chemical storage through Power to Gas, and an oxy-fuel boiler. Up to 35 potential situations have been identified, depending on the surplus electricity, occupancy of the intermediate storages of hydrogen and synthetic methane, and thermal demand. For illustration purposes, the methodology has been applied to a case study in the building sector. Specifically, a building with 270 kW of solar photovoltaic installed power is analyzed under nine energy scenarios. The calculated capacities of electrolysis vary from 65 kW to 96 kW with operating hours between 2184 and 2475 hours. The percentage of methane stored in the gas grid varies from 0.0% (no injection) to 30.9%. The more favorable scenarios are those with the lowest demands, showing temporary displacements beyond the month between injection and utilization.

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The future role of Power-to-Gas in the energy transition: Regional and local techno-economic analyses in Baden-Württemberg

Cited by 100 publications

References 31 publications

Attaining stable electrolyzer operation under multi-annual climatic variations in almost fully renewable electricity systems: the case of Sweden

Attaining stable electrolyzer operation under multi-annual climatic variations in almost fully renewable electricity systems: the case of Sweden

Energy System Modelling of Carbon-Neutral Hydrogen as an Enabler of Sectoral Integration within a Decarbonization Pathway

Decision-making methodology for managing photovoltaic surplus electricity through Power to Gas: Combined heat and power in urban buildings

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