Coupling renewables via hydrogen into utilities: Temporal and spatial issues, and technology opportunities
- Distributed Utility Associates, San Ramon, CA (United States); and others
This paper discusses the technical potential for hydrogen used as an energy storage medium to couple time-dependent renewable energy into time-dependent electric utility loads. This analysis will provide estimates of regional and national opportunities for hydrogen production, storage and conversion, based on current and near-term leading renewable energy and hydrogen production and storage technologies. Appropriate renewable technologies, wind, photovoltaics and solar thermal, are matched to their most viable regional resources. The renewables are assumed to produce electricity which will be instantaneously used by the local utility to meet its loads; any excess electricity will be used to produce hydrogen electrolytically and stored for later use. Results are derived based on a range of assumptions of renewable power plant capacity and fraction of regional electric load to be met (e.g., the amount of hydrogen storage required to meet the Northwest region`s top 10% of electric load). For each renewable technology national and regional totals will be developed for maximum hydrogen production per year and ranges of hydrogen storage capacity needed in each year (hydroelectric case excluded). The sensitivity of the answers to the fraction of peak load to be served and the land area dedicated for renewable resources are investigated. These analyses can serve as a starting point for projecting the market opportunity for hydrogen storage and distribution technologies. Sensitivities will be performed for hydrogen production, conversion. and storage efficiencies representing current and near-term hydrogen technologies.
- Research Organization:
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 447140
- Report Number(s):
- NREL/CP-430-21968-Vol.1; CONF-9605195-Vol.1; ON: DE97000053; TRN: 97:001172-0008
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 1996 annual hydrogen peer review for DOE, Miami, FL (United States), 1-3 May 1996; Other Information: PBD: Oct 1996; Related Information: Is Part Of Proceedings of the 1996 US DOE hydrogen program review. Volume 1; PB: 575 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
1999 Pacific Northwest Loads and Resources Study.
1998 White Book, Pacific Northwest Loads and Resources Study (summary)