Hydrogen-empowered Hydro-Electric Grids (HyHEG)

Nepal has a tremendous potential for hydroelectricity production. Across the county, micro hydroelectric power (MHP) projects are constructed to provide basic electricity supply to local people. These island microgrid systems are limited in their performance due to their power restrictions. While a typical run-of-the-river electric generator has a constant nominal (equals peak) power output, load demand fluctuates well below this peak power output and cannot surpass it. This grossly limits electricity harvest and causes much potential energy to go to waste. Power intensive activities such as cooking cannot be covered by electric supply due to generator power constraints, Country-wide biomass is resorted to for cooking, covering 69% of the total Nepali energy consumption. Exposure to smoke from biomass-based cooking is an acute health risk, giving rise to yearly 4 million premature deaths globally. This is a typical power and energy matching problem with fatal consequences for the population.

This situation is combated in this project by introducing Hydrogen production, storage, distribution, and Hydrogen-based cooking. Connected to a micro hydroelectric power station, the Hydrogen generator is able to substantially increase the energy harvest by converting surplus electricity into Hydrogen. The Hydrogen subsequently is supplied to local homes as fuel gas for cooking, thus circumventing electric power limitations. In this way, performance and efficiency of the micro hydroelectric power station are substantially increased, and clean renewable cooking is made possible.