A Novel Hydrogen Storage Power Plant Structure for High Renewable Energy Penetration

Inhalt:
Integration of increasing magnitudes of renewable energy is of paramount importance to find an alternative to diminishing non-renewable fossil fuels and reduce the emission of greenhouse gases to agreed levels. However, including higher proportions of such energy sources introduces new challenges for grid operators. Electrical power generation dependent on intermittent renewable resources can easily lead to situations with large differences between forecasted and actual values of power generation and consumption. This would signal the need for power curtailment or a sizeable dispatch of emergency power reserves. A feasible method of large-scale energy storage is required to bridge this gap between stochastic generation and consumption. The Hydrogen Storage Power Plant (HSPP) is one such solution. In this paper, a novel structure of the HSPP consisting of storages and DC-AC converters (HSPP-AC) is proposed. Not only can the HSPP supply and store electrical energy according to the grid requirement but can also provide the required ancillary services, i.e. reactive power, voltage and frequency control. In addition, the power plant also possesses black start capability. The behavior of this latest HSPP structure is tested in an isolated network which contains conventional thermal and hydroelectric power plants as well as a large share of wind farms. The dynamic interaction of the HSPP with the other power plants and the roles of its internal components are analyzed in response to a step increase in power consumption in the network. The results signify that the HSPP-AC can ensure the stable operation of a grid with high penetration of renewable sources.