Utilising hydrogen to mitigate intermittency in renewable generation
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Bath
Department Name: Chemical Engineering
Abstract
The UK has vast renewable resources that could be used to decarbonise much of the electricity and heat demands but due to their intermittent nature it will be difficult to integrate large amounts into the energy system and ensure that they are utilised fully. Energy storage can increase the utilisation of these renewable technologies but large-scale electricity storage is not currently practical. However, hydrogen may be a more viable solution because it can be stored by injecting it into the natural gas grid, where it will directly contribute to the decarbonisation of any demand for natural gas, e.g. heating and electricity generation. Salt caverns have the capacity to store the quantities of energy required for inter-seasonal storage, e.g. allowing solar energy in the summer to be used for heating in the winter.
The aim of this project is to identify options for the generation, storage and transportation of hydrogen to decarbonise energy provision in the UK by developing a mathematical model. A number of themes will be examined but principally I will aim to consider the following:
1. How hydrogen can be used as a power storage mechanism in order to decarbonise the power system without the penalties of conventional back-up generation.
2. The transition from the current energy system to any future system is very important. Therefore the multi-vector model that I will develop will include long-term investment and planning decisions to determine the most cost effective, environmentally-friendly transition to the future network while also determining what that network should be.
3. Other opportunities for systems integration such as using waste heat from the electrolyser and from the gas-to-power plants in district heating systems.
The aim of this project is to identify options for the generation, storage and transportation of hydrogen to decarbonise energy provision in the UK by developing a mathematical model. A number of themes will be examined but principally I will aim to consider the following:
1. How hydrogen can be used as a power storage mechanism in order to decarbonise the power system without the penalties of conventional back-up generation.
2. The transition from the current energy system to any future system is very important. Therefore the multi-vector model that I will develop will include long-term investment and planning decisions to determine the most cost effective, environmentally-friendly transition to the future network while also determining what that network should be.
3. Other opportunities for systems integration such as using waste heat from the electrolyser and from the gas-to-power plants in district heating systems.
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP/N509589/1 | 01/10/2016 | 30/09/2021 | |||
| 1878647 | Studentship | EP/N509589/1 | 24/04/2017 | 23/10/2020 | Christopher Quarton |
| Description | This project has explored the role of hydrogen within energy systems through a combination of literature review and value chain modelling and optimisation. Specific insights regarding approaches to modelling hydrogen, and hydrogen technologies within energy systems, have been generated: A review power-to-gas, with a focus on injection into the gas grid, identified significant interest in the area. However there are still challenges to overcome to find profitable business cases and to manage local and system-wide technical issues. Whilst significant modelling of power-to-gas has been undertaken, more is needed to fully understand the impacts of power-to-gas and gas grid injection on the operational behaviour of the gas grid, taking into account dynamic and spatial effects. A study of influential global energy scenarios found their coverage of hydrogen to be extremely mixed. Reasons for this include that energy systems are becoming increasingly complex, and it is within these complexities that new technologies such as hydrogen emerge. Developing a global energy scenario that represents these complexities is challenging, and it is important that: the right modelling tools are used, whilst knowing the limits of the model; the right sectors and technologies are included; the level of ambition is appropriate; and data assumptions are realistic. Above all, transparency is essential, and global scenarios must do more to make available the modelling methods and data assumptions used. Through modelling CO2 value chains, the role of CCUS and hydrogen within the Great Britain energy system was assessed. It was found that there are opportunities for CCUS to decarbonise existing power generation capacity, but long-term decarbonisation and flexibility can be achieved at lower cost through renewables and hydrogen storage. There may be opportunities for profit from production of alternative fuels such as methanol from CCU, however the scope for decarbonisation from these CCU pathways is small. For investment in carbon capture and storage to become attractive, additional drivers such as decarbonisation of industry and negative emissions policies are required. Hydrogen injection into the gas grid, both partial injection and complete conversion of gas grids to hydrogen, was modellled, assessing their potential within the Great Britain energy system. It was found that energy systems are ready for partial hydrogen injection now, and that relatively low feed-in tariffs (£20-50 /MWh) could incentivise it. Partial hydrogen injection could provide a stepping stone for developing a hydrogen infrastructure, but large scale decarbonisation of gas grids requires complete conversion to hydrogen. Whether this solution is preferable to electrification in the long term will depend on the value of the gas grid linepack flexibility, and the costs of expanding electricity infrastructure. Finally, the policies available for encouraging energy decarbonisation and supporting emerging energy technologies were studied, including their implications for hydrogen technologies. The effectiveness of these policies was then assessed through value chain optimisation. It was found that in a net-zero energy system, hydrogen has a role in industry without needing specific policy support. However, for further uptake of hydrogen, such as for injection into the gas grid, policy intervention is necessary. For decarbonising domestic and commercial heat, hydrogen was found to be more expensive than electrification, primarily due to the costs associated with producing hydrogen at scale. Both feed-in tariffs and obligations for hydrogen injection were found to be effective at increasing hydrogen uptake, although with an increase in overall system cost of £11--14 for each additional MWh of hydrogen. |
| Exploitation Route | This project has developed new methods in modelling of energy technologies, including the modelling of CCUS and hydrogen technologies. These developments will be valuable to other researchers looking to model 21st century energy systems. The insights from the modelling will be valuable to investors and policymakers that are required to make decisions about the viability of future technologies, and the required economic and policy conditions to bring about decarbonisation of energy systems. |
| Sectors | Energy |
| URL | https://researchportal.bath.ac.uk/en/persons/christopher-quarton |
| Description | The project including ongoing collaboration with the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), which provided the opportunity to influence government energy innovation and policy. Through a series of presentations and more informal interactions, I was able to share the results of my research with analysts and policymakers in BEIS. Whilst there are no tangible outputs from these interactions, my findings will have provided evidence and helped to influence the view of government decision-makers. More information about the interactions with BEIS is given in the "placements" section. I have now joined BEIS as a permanent member of staff, and continue to use the results of the PhD project as evidence in my day-to-day work. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2017 |
| Sector | Energy |
| Impact Types | Policy & public services |
| Title | GB Energy System data (model input data) |
| Description | The project is based on modelling of the Great Britain (GB) energy system, therefore the modelling requires an extensive set of input data covering the system. This data covers all of the energy system resources and technologies that are included in the model. Energy system resource data includes spatio-temporal data for the availability of resources (e.g. wind speeds, natural gas availability) and energy demands (demands for heat and electricity across the domestic, commercial and industrial sectors). The spatio-temporal data covers the GB system with 16 distinct spatial zones, and includes hourly data across an entire year, with projections between the present day and 2050. Energy technology data includes costs (capex and opex) and operational data (e.g. operating rates, conversion rates, flexibility). Technologies include conversion technologies (e.g. turbines, electrolysers, heaters, etc.), storage technologies and transport technologies (e.g. pipelines and transmission lines). |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2020 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Model input data is shared along with any research outputs from the model. |
| Title | Value Web Model scenarios on carbon capture, storage and utilisation and hydrogen injection into the gas grid |
| Description | A set of scenarios around carbon capture, storage and utilisation, power-to-gas and hydrogen injection into the gas grid were modelled and optimised using the Value Web Model (VWM), the development of which is being led by Dr Sheila Samsatli and being used in various projects in her research group at the University of Bath. In this project, Chris Quarton and SS added constraints to the VWM in order to investigate value chain scenarios around carbon capture, storage and utilisation and CQ configured the conversion and storage technologies in VWM to model hydrogen injection into the gas grid. CQ also added a representation of linepack storage, based on the existing formulation for storage technologies by SS in the VWM. |
| Type Of Material | Computer model/algorithm |
| Year Produced | 2020 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | The modelled scenarios were presented to analysts at the Department of Business Energy and Industrial Strategy and may contribute to their analysis of policy instruments to help decarbonise the UK energy system. |
| Description | IEA HIA Task 38, Subtask 4 |
| Organisation | International Energy Agency Hydrogen |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | CQ contributed to a workshop (organised by SS) in which the issues and challenges associated with including hydrogen in energy system modelling were discussed. As an outcome from the workshop, it was agreed that a collaborative perspective paper would be written, outlining and expanding on the conclusions of the workshop. CQ was lead-author for the perspective paper (and SS was a co-author), deciding the overall structure, drafting the paper and finalising the publication. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Many members task attended and contributed to the original workshop. Several of these members co-authored the paper, providing feedback on the structure and draft, contributing to the literature review, and contributing additional arguments. |
| Impact | The article "The curious case of the con?icting roles of hydrogen in global energy scenarios" was published in Sustainable Energy & Fuels, vol. 4, pgs 80-95 in 2020. (Authors: Christopher J. Quarton, Olfa Tlili, Lara Welder, Christine Mansilla, Herib Blanco, Heidi Heinrichs, Jonathan Leaver, Nouri J. Samsatli, Paul Lucchese, Martin Robinius, and Sheila Samsatli.) This article is listed under the publications section. The results of the work will also be presented at the World Hydrogen Energy Conference 2020. |
| Start Year | 2017 |