High efficiency reversible solid oxide cells for the integration of offshore renewable energy using hydrogen
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Plymouth
Department Name: Sch of Engineering
Abstract
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Organisations
- University of Plymouth (Lead Research Organisation)
- BP (British Petroleum) (Collaboration)
- Ceres Power (Collaboration)
- Ministry of Defence (MoD) (Collaboration)
- Danish Power Systems (Collaboration)
- Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (Collaboration)
- Arcadis NV (Collaboration)
- OFFSHORE RENEWABLE ENERGY CATAPULT (Collaboration)
- National HVDC centre (Collaboration)
- TECHNIPFMC PLC (Collaboration)
- National Energy System Operator (Collaboration)
- Simec Atlantis Energy (Collaboration)
- INEOS (Collaboration)
- Scottish Power Ltd (Collaboration)
- Health and Safety Executive (HSE) (Collaboration)
- Simply Blue Group (Collaboration)
Publications
Guichard J
(2023)
Cost optimization of offshore wind farm combination with reversible solid oxide cell system producing hydrogen using the PyPSA power system modelling tool
in IET Conference Proceedings
Pegler D
(2023)
Levelised cost of hydrogen from a dedicated offshore wind farm
in IET Conference Proceedings
Michele S
(2024)
Wave energy extraction from rigid rectangular compound floating plates
in Journal of Fluids and Structures
Guichard J
(2024)
Optimization of reversible solid oxide cell system capacity combined with an offshore wind farm for hydrogen production and energy storage using the PyPSA power system modelling tool
in IET Renewable Power Generation
| Description | This research investigates optimisation of the combination of high efficiency reversible solid oxide cells (rSOC) with Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Farms, aiming to determine the most cost-efficient method to combine rSOC with ORE whilst matching electricity supply with demand. Investigations consider an offshore wind farm as well as electricity production from wave and tidal energy, with assumptions on rSOC efficiency and different storage options. The overall conclusions are that if hydrogen prices are high compared to electricity prices, dedicated hydrogen production is recommended, and it is recommended to happen offshore. When electricity prices are high compared to hydrogen prices, reversible hydrogen production is recommended, and it is recommended to happen onshore. The conditions under which different offshore renewable energy resources, and their combination become favourable is explored and found to be heavily dependent on price, but that the combination of resources is advantageous in some scenarios. |
| Exploitation Route | Energy systems modelling; design of renewable energy integration; micro-grid modelling. |
| Sectors | Aerospace Defence and Marine Energy |
| Description | The modelling tool developed for the energy system with Hydrogen and other sources and demands has generated interest with in the Hydrogen SW community and led to a new collaboration and research proposal for micro-grid modelling working with the Ministry of Defence. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2024 |
| Sector | Aerospace, Defence and Marine |
| Impact Types | Policy & public services |
| Description | GW-SHIFT: Great Western Supercluster of Hydrogen Impact for Future Technologies |
| Amount | £2,707,041 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | EP/Y023994/1 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2024 |
| End | 01/2028 |
| Description | R&D Solutions Fund by Enterprise Solutions collaboration between University of Plymouth and Environmental Resources Management (ERM) Limited |
| Amount | £31,204 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University of Plymouth |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 04/2023 |
| End | 04/2025 |
| Description | BP (UK) - Advisory Board |
| Organisation | BP (British Petroleum) |
| Department | BP Chemicals |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Co-I investigator |
| Collaborator Contribution | Advisory Board member |
| Impact | None |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Ceres Power Ltd - Advisory Board member |
| Organisation | Ceres Power |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Co-I investigator |
| Collaborator Contribution | Advisory Board member and providing testing |
| Impact | None to date |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | GW SHIFT SPRINT Hydrogen opportunity mapping in the SW. |
| Organisation | Arcadis NV |
| Department | Arcadis UK |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | This proposal builds on research at the UoP into the integration of H2 with Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE), as a route to production of green hydrogen, grid balancing, and energy storage. This project aims to record on GIS current potential hydrogen demand information in the South West & regions (akin to what Scottish Enterprise (SE) has developed for the Scottish regions, refer to Scotland's Hydrogen Asset Map). Scottish Enterprise are ahead of the SW with their Scotwind auction round including multiple hydrogen generation projects. SE and project developers recognise the grid constraints for exporting ORE generation, resulting in multiple green hydrogen projects under study, all recorded on the GIS. The SW's first large-scale seabed leasing round by the Crown Estate in the Celtic Sea due for award in summer 2025, for 4.5 GW of floating offshore wind. This proposal envisages mapping renewable resource, which is a proxy for hydrogen generation potential. The Scotwind projects envisage export via pipeline to the rest of the UK and Europe, with some local demand. The SW & regions have considerable local demand potential with the oil refinery at Milford Haven and Steel works in Port Talbot. The industrial cluster in South Wales emits over 9 Mte.CO2/yr, representing a sizeable opportunity for industrial decarbonisation with hydrogen as the energy vector. National Gas are currently studying re-purposing part of the national natural gas transmission pipework for hydrogen service, which proposes a spur pipeline into South Wales and another to Southampton. Project Union will be included as it offers an export opportunity without a dedicated offtaker. The SW is similarly grid constrained, with National Grid ESO studying transmission upgrades. Mapping the green hydrogen production potential, with demand potential, and grid restrictions will reveal target areas. |
| Collaborator Contribution | This work will be co-led between UoP and renewables developer and consultancy Arcadis https://www.arcadis.com/en in partnership with construction and engineering company Costain, local distribution gas network operator WWU, and local industry body Hydrogen South West. The industry partners are members of the HSW regional cluster, comprising four Working Groups (WG): Land transport; Maritime; Aviation; and Infrastructure, Distribution & Storage. Each have commissioned work towards mapping demand for the respective use case to be completed in 2024 and early 2025. All industry partners sit within the Infrastructure WG whose role is to be coordinate and integrate the outcomes of all the other WGs. UoP will engage with the HSW forum, and seek to identify, potential for supply and demand, renewable resource availability, pipeline connections, geological storage potential, and grid constraints, from which the GIS tool can be built. The UoP proposes to integrate existing knowledge in the mapping tool, fill gaps by having meetings with potential hydrogen users as required, monitor developments in the sector and ensure all is captured in the tool. |
| Impact | Too early, project starts 1 July 2025 |
| Start Year | 2024 |
| Description | GW SHIFT SPRINT Hydrogen-based micro-grid energy system modelling |
| Organisation | Ministry of Defence (MOD) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | The application builds on research carried out by the University of Plymouth since April 2022 on the combination of offshore renewable energy (ORE) with reversible solid oxide cells (rSOC) (EP/W003732/1). This project is one of several projects involving 3 other universities (Imperial College London as the lead, University of St Andrews, University of Warwick). The project is to come to an end in May 2025. The work of the University of Plymouth, led by Deborah Greaves (PI) and Robert Rawlinson-Smith (Co-I), consists in examining energy system modelling and cost optimisation of a wind farm combined with hydrogen production. Both the cases of onshore and offshore hydrogen production are examined, for which optimised capacities for electrolysers and hydrogen storage are determined. The model is given the choice between dedicated hydrogen production (requiring only electrolyser mode) and reversible hydrogen production (making use of the ability of rSOC to also work in fuel cell mode), where all or part of the hydrogen produced is converted into electricity. The research has found that electricity prices as well as hydrogen prices play an important role in the decision-making as to whether to install any electrical cables and use pipelines for hydrogen produced offshore instead. The modelling also includes some details such as different efficiencies for different power input or output. Heat storage is also included to make use of waste heat from fuel cell mode for increased efficiencies in electrolyser mode in the case of reversible hydrogen production. Initial results are now available but research on optimisation of location for hydrogen production (decision on whether to make hydrogen onshore or offshore, or both) will complete in May 2024. Initial investigation of comparing the results for a wave or tidal farm to the results for a wind farm show that the capacity factor of the relevant ORE farm plays a role, as well as the distance to shore (impacting length and cost of subsea cable connection and pipeline) in the decision-making process. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The approach taken for energy system modelling is considered relevant to the work by the MoD, who have been using a fuel cell at the Devonport base in Plymouth for providing electricity to electric cars, to avoid excessive demand on the grid. The MoD are now looking into developing a local, modular hydrogen production plant using power from a waste to energy plant or from small scale renewable harvesting. This would be a pilot project for the MoD that would be used to inform further investigation into micro-grids based on renewable energy sources and hydrogen, in a variety of situations and locations especially where the local electricity grid cannot be used and autonomy in the matter of energy supply is very important. This solution could apply equally to remote or electrical capacity limited civilian locations. |
| Impact | Too early Project due to start 1 July 2025 |
| Start Year | 2024 |
| Description | HSE - Advisory Board member |
| Organisation | Health and Safety Executive (HSE) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Co-I Investigator |
| Collaborator Contribution | Advisory Board member |
| Impact | None to date |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | INEOS Group - Advisory Board |
| Organisation | INEOS |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Co-I investigator |
| Collaborator Contribution | Advisory board member and electrolyser data |
| Impact | None |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | National Grid ESO - Advisory Board |
| Organisation | National Energy System Operator |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Co-I investigator |
| Collaborator Contribution | Advisory Board member |
| Impact | None |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Offshore renewable energy catapult - Advisory Board member |
| Organisation | Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Co-I investigator |
| Collaborator Contribution | Advisory board member and data |
| Impact | None to date |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | SP Energy networks - Advisory Board member |
| Organisation | Scottish Power Ltd |
| Department | Scottish Power Energy Networks |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Co-I investigator |
| Collaborator Contribution | Advisory board member |
| Impact | None |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy |
| Organisation | Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy |
| Country | Spain |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | research discussions |
| Collaborator Contribution | research discussions |
| Impact | n/a |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Simec Atlantis - Advisory Board Member |
| Organisation | Simec Atlantis Energy |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Co-I investigator |
| Collaborator Contribution | Advisory Board member |
| Impact | None to date |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Simply Blue Energy - Advisory Board Member |
| Organisation | Simply Blue Group |
| Country | Ireland |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Co-i investigator |
| Collaborator Contribution | Advisory board member |
| Impact | None |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | TechnipFMC - Advisory Board |
| Organisation | TechnipFMC plc |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Co-I |
| Collaborator Contribution | Advisory Board member and provide technical reviews |
| Impact | None |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | The National HVDC Centre - Advisory Board |
| Organisation | National HVDC Centre |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Co-I investigator |
| Collaborator Contribution | Advisory Board member and access to facilities and software |
| Impact | None |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | WH Power System Consultant - Advisory Board member |
| Organisation | Danish Power Systems |
| Country | Denmark |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Co-I investigator |
| Collaborator Contribution | Advisory Board member |
| Impact | None to date |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | ECR Forum, Supergen ORE Assembly |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Poster+2 minute poster pitch with one slide |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Hydrogen South West Quarterly Meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Presentation by Rob Rawlinson-Smith at the Hydrogen South West Quarterly Meeting, June 2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Hydrogen South West Quarterly member's meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Invited Presentation given at the Hydrogen South West Quarterly member's meeting, Plymouth, September 24 2024, Hydrogen Integration in FLOW |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Kick-off Meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Kick off meeting with project partners |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Maritime Hydrogen Fuels Group |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Dr Robert Rawlinson-Smith presented on Green Hydrogen from Offshore Renewable Energy at the Maritime Hydrogen Fuels Group meeting on 15th July '22 organised by the MaritimeUK SW |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Project Partner Meeting 2023 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Project Partner Meeting Warwick February 2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Project Partner Meeting January 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Project workshop with investigators, researchers, external and industry partners. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |