Researchers in Spain have discovered that combining PV energy technology with gas cells and battery storage can assist properties scale back their levelized vitality prices. Their simulation reportedly reveals the homes can be fully self-sufficient.
From pv journal Global
A bunch of researchers from the University of Cantabria in Spain performed a pilot undertaking for a self-sufficient home that runs solely on photovoltaics, batteries, and hydrogen storage.
“This plant combines PV panels and hydrogen (PVHyP) as a technique of seasonal vitality storage, attaining the formidable goal of attaining an electrically self-sufficient social housing unit all year long,” the group stated. “To obtain this purpose, a tailored vitality administration technique (EMS) was created based mostly on the state of cost of the battery pack and the vitality move inside the PVHyP, guaranteeing that the electrical energy consumption of the home is at all times lined even via PV panels, gas cells or battery packs.”
For their simulation, the scientists collected knowledge from January 2022 to December 2023 for an 80 m2 social home positioned in Novales, a small village in northern Spain. The electrical energy invoice from the years earlier than the renewable electrification of the home reveals that it consumed 2,513 kWh/yr with a median day by day consumption of 6.88 kWh. The common consumption in winter and autumn is greater than 7.3 kWh, and in summer time, 5.88 kWh/day.
With these knowledge, scientists moved to the scale of the vitality system utilizing software program optimization and market evaluation. In the top, they settled on 20 photo voltaic panels with an influence of 40 W every positioned on the roof, in addition to 4 2.4 kWh batteries. The remainder of the plant is housed in a warehouse on a neighboring lot. That features a 35 L water tank that makes use of faucet water after purification for electrolysis and a 600 L hydrogen storage tank at 300 bar.
With the proposed system configuration, the PV panels should first provide the home load. The extra technology instantly costs the battery, and as soon as it’s full, it’s saved in a high-pressure storage tank within the type of hydrogen produced by an electrolyzer.
“When the photo voltaic irradiation just isn’t sufficient to cowl the wants of the home, the batteries provide the mandatory vitality to the home,” defined the teachers. “When the batteries are discharged, the gas cell produces electrical energy to cost the batteries from the saved hydrogen. As a lot as doable, the hydrogen saved within the buffer is used first to keep away from the compression stage, thus rising the vitality effectivity. The system and the home are related to the grid on a self-consumption foundation to promote again to the grid all extra vitality.
According to the analysis staff, the home confirmed self-sufficiency, and its LCOE decreased from €0.86($0.92)/kWh to €0.34/kWh, and the tenants saved €1,170 per yr. “Almost 15,200 kWh are saved from fossil fuels, which corresponds to roughly 2,260 kg of CO2,” the researchers emphasised.
They offered their findings within the examine “Sustainable and self-sufficient social house via a mixed PV-hydrogen pilot,” revealed in Applied Energy.
This content material is protected by copyright and might not be reused. If you need to cooperate with us and need to reuse a few of our content material, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.