A battery-to-electrolyzer pathway for energy management in a hybrid battery/hydrogen microgrid

A RES-based microgrid with two simultaneous storage options - battery and hydrogen - is considered. While the battery pack serves as a short-term storage solution, the hydrogen-cycle (consisting of an electrolyzer, a hydrogen pressurized tank and a fuel cell stack) provides for a long-term (seasonal) storage in order to improve the system resilience and to allow off-grid operation for longer time. With respect to the most classical energy management approach, where energy is transferred either from PV to battery (as the priority transfer) or from PV to electrolyzer, the novel strategy adopted in this paper also adds the possibility of a battery-to-electrolyzer energy conversion route. This route is enabled whenever the energy stored in the battery is expected to overcome the estimated short-term energy needs. The novel strategy reveals significant potential to increase the hydrogen production during the summer months, by redirecting to the electrolyzer part of the excess energy that would be otherwise curtailed or transferred to an external grid. Application of the strategy during autumn and winter time reveals on the contrary a clear worsening of the microgrid performance and should be avoided.