Technical feasibility of a hybrid on-site H2 and renewable energy system for a zero-energy building with a H2 vehicle

The background of this research is based on the commercialization trends of the H2 vehicles and the upcoming legislation on the zero-energy building (ZEB). Regarding these two backgrounds, there is special research interest to investigate the technical feasibility of integrating a H2 vehicle with an on-site renewable electrical (REe) system in the ZEB. Hereby, a hybrid system consisting of an on-site REe and a H2 vehicle integrated H2 system is proposed and set up in the TRNSYS simulation with novel control logics defined by the authors. The essential principle is to drive the electrolyzer with the surplus on-site REe, and to drive the fuel cell to cover the on-site electrical shortage, while the cogenerated heat from the H2 system will be utilized for domestic heating purposes. The simulation results show that with the support of a 14kW wind turbine, the building will be a nearly ZEB with full annual availability of the H2 vehicle, whereas with the support of a 178m2 PV, the building will be a net ZEB with 48days’ annual unavailability of the H2 vehicle. Via a seasonal matching analysis, it can be found that the H2 vehicle integrated H2 system has a significant effect on alleviating the monthly surplus on-site REe generation. By relieving the condition of discharging the H2 storage by the fuel cell, both the on-site surplus REe and energy shortage will be further reduced and the cogenerated heat from the H2 system can be increased. Therefore, the research approves that it is technically feasible to simultaneously meet the zero-emission fuel requirement of the H2 vehicle, the convenient accessibility of the H2 refuelling station, the fulfillment of the zero energy balance of the building, and the highest matching capability between generation and demand.

[1]  Martin Braun,et al.  Is the distribution grid ready to accept large‐scale photovoltaic deployment? State of the art, progress, and future prospects , 2012 .

[2]  Anastasios I. Dounis,et al.  Polygeneration microgrids: A viable solution in remote areas for supplying power, potable water and hydrogen as transportation fuel , 2011 .

[3]  Jaume Salom,et al.  Analysis of load match and grid interaction indicators in net zero energy buildings with simulated and monitored data , 2014 .

[4]  Ø. Ulleberg.  Modeling of advanced alkaline electrolyzers: a system simulation approach , 2003 .

[5]  Ala Hasan,et al.  On-site energy matching indices for buildings with energy conversion, storage and hybrid grid connections , 2013 .

[6]  Martin Braun,et al.  Is the distribution grid ready to accept large‐scale photovoltaic deployment? State of the art, progress, and future prospects , 2012 .

[7]  Kodjo Agbossou,et al.  Case Study - Stand-Alone Energy Systems based on Hydrogen Production , 2003 .

[8]  Sunliang Cao,et al.  Impact of simulation time-resolution on the matching of PV production and household electric demand , 2014 .

[9]  Eike Musall,et al.  Zero Energy Building A review of definitions and calculation methodologies , 2011 .

[10]  Y. Çengel,et al.  Thermodynamics : An Engineering Approach , 1989 .

[11]  Rok Lacko,et al.  Hydrogen energy system with renewables for isolated households: The optimal system design, numerical analysis and experimental evaluation , 2014 .

[12]  Sunliang Cao.  Matching analysis for on-site building energy systems involving energy conversion, storage and hybrid grid connections , 2014 .

[13]  William A. Beckman,et al.  Improvement and validation of a model for photovoltaic array performance , 2006 .

[14]  Ibrahim Dincer,et al.  Energy, exergy and exergoeconomic analyses of a combined renewable energy system for residential applications , 2014 .

[15]  Ala Hasan,et al.  Matching analysis for on-site hybrid renewable energy systems of office buildings with extended indices , 2014 .

[16]  K. F. Fong,et al.  Towards net zero energy design for low-rise residential buildings in subtropical Hong Kong , 2012 .

[17]  Math Bollen,et al.  Integration of Distributed Generation in the Power System , 2008 .

[18]  Stephen J. Conner.  Distributed dispatching for embedded generation , 2003 .

[19]  W. Beckman,et al.  Solar Engineering of Thermal Processes , 1985 .

[20]  D. Stolten,et al.  A comprehensive review on PEM water electrolysis , 2013 .

[21]  J. Jokisalo,et al.  Development of weighting factors for climate variables for selecting the energy reference year according to the EN ISO 15927-4 standard , 2012 .

[22]  Ø. Ulleberg,et al.  TRNSYS simulation models for solar-hydrogen systems , 1997 .