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Multi-scale modeling and analysis of utility-scale reversible protonic ceramic electrolyzer system operating in renewable-dense electricity grids
Thatte, Amogh A.
Thatte, Amogh A.
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2024
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Abstract
The importance of seasonal energy storage is becoming evident with the increasing integration of renewables into electricity grids due to seasonal storage’s ability to perform beyond intra-day energy shifting. At the same time, owing to its multiple end uses and projected cost-effectiveness, renewable energy-powered electrochemical hydrogen production is emerging as a promising method for achieving seasonal energy storage. This dissertation focuses on three key areas.
The first area advances the state-of-the-art in computationally efficient, model-predictive tools through an experimentally validated, quasi-2D, transient, dual-channel cell model for a novel protonic ceramic electrochemical cell technology that conducts multiple charges. This analysis predicts that operating the electrolyzer system at high feedstock steam concentrations (≥40%), low operating temperatures (≤873K), and low cell voltages (≤1.28V) results in high average faradaic efficiency, high cell energy efficiency, increased hydrogen production per cell, and a levelized cost of hydrogen marginally higher than that of solid-oxide technology.
The second focus is on analyzing various generic methodologies tested on modified IEEE 5-bus and RTS electricity test grids to improve seasonal energy storage dispatch at minimal computational cost increment. These methodologies aim to capture net load (load minus available renewable energy) variations beyond the intra-day time scale, addressing the limitations of the traditional approach (one day plus one day look-ahead) in solving production cost models with long duration and seasonal energy storage devices. This analysis shows that up to a 40% reduction in the total electricity production cost is possible due to improved dispatch of seasonal and long-duration storage devices, depending on the choice of methodology and the nature of the electricity grid.
Finally, the third study combines findings from the first two studies to further our understanding of the operation of a reversible protonic ceramic electrolyzer system as seasonal energy storage in a renewable-dense electricity grid. This study shows that operating a reversible protonic ceramic electrolyzer system is beneficial in a solar-driven electricity grid from both grid and storage operator viewpoints. Overall, the research covers different aspects of electrochemical hydrogen generation, ranging from a button cell to a regional electricity grid.
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