Optimized design and simulation of a hybrid storage system based on hydrogen as an energy carrier

DIN – Università di Bologna, Viale del Risorgimento 2, 40136 Bologna, Italy

^* Corresponding author: maria.ancona2@unibo.it

Abstract

The integration of renewable energy sources into the electricity system can contribute to the development of a low-carbon economy. However, due to the intermittency and non-programmability of these sources, problems related to the management of local electricity grids may occur. A possible solution or limitation to these issues is given by the electrical storage. In addition, in the next future, domestic micro-grids are expected to play a fundamental role in electric power networks, driving both the academic and industrial research interests in developing highly efficient and reliable conversion and storage technologies. In this study, the behavior of a small-scale hybrid energy system for hydrogen production and storage has been predicted, by means of a developed calculation model, and the operational strategy of the system has been optimized with the aim to maximize the hydrogen production. In addition, with the aim to maximize the overall solar-to-hydrogen chain efficiency, the whole system model has been applied to different operating scenarios, to identify the optimal management strategy to control it.