Distributed Energy Systems Based on Water Electrolysis Driven by Renewable Electricity

Renewable electricity such as wind and solar power provides a meaningful sustainable energy source for remote regions, but its intermittency in nature and inherently low power intensities and energy densities require suitable energy storage mechanisms to make it viable. Alkaline water electrolysis can serve as such a means of energy storage. This article outlines a distributed energy system concept involving water electrolysis. The promises of the distributed energy system are discussed in terms of the development and research of water electrolysis. The technical studies for water electrolysis were evaluated and assessed with current literature. By analyzing the opportunities and limitations of water electrolysis in matching their power scales with feasible renewable electricity sources, this work showed that a distributed energy system with a capacity of 200 kW is technically and economically feasible using currently available technologies, indicating the potential of this distributed system for energy supply for remote communities. This work also identifies several key areas where further R&D effort is needed in order to help deploy water electrolysis and hydrogen fuel cell technologies in the utilization of renewable energy. Keywords: alkaline water electrolysis; distributed energy systems; fuel cells; renewable energy; solar cells; wind turbines

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