Description of intermittant renewable energy systems with energy storage. Hydrogen utility power for remote applications.

1. Integrated Hydrogen Utility Systems for
Remote Northern Communities
Hydrogen Millennium
10th Canadian Hydrogen Conference
May 28 - 31, 2000
Glenn D. Rambach
FuelCellPlace@aol.com

2. Integrated Hydrogen Utility Systems
Hydrogen as a utility energy storage medium.

 To buffer the intermittency and phase differences of renewables an loads.
 Where current electricity values are high (premium power).
 Niche applications in isolated locations.
 Permits full autonomy from a fossil fuel supply infrastructure.
 Provides utility AND transportation functions
Storage function of hydrogen systems is more complex than either

battery storage systems or fossil fueled fuel cell systems.
 Batteries have one power/energy element.
 Fossil fuel cell system have two power elements and a simple energy
element.
 Four separate power or energy elements permit optimization in H2 system.
The technologies necessary for an integrated renewable hydrogen power system

are available, and close to the costs needed for full economic use in remote
applications.
Models are yet to be developed for optimization of design and control of a

hydrogen system.

3. Energy Demographics
Country Population Per capita energy use
(millions) (Bbls oil(equiv.)/year/person)
USA 270 23.6 (5.7 x W.A.)
(4.5%)
China 1200 0.79
0.79 (0.19 x W.A.)
(37%)
India 1000
Indonesia 202
World 6000 4.12 (W.A.)
Two billion people on earth do not have electricity.

4. The relationship between renewable energy sources
and fuel cells is generally through hydrogen
The primary fuel for a fuel cell is hydrogen
Hydrogen can be produced from:
Gasoline
Diesel fuel Nonrenewable
Propane
Coal
Wind, solar, hydroelectric and
geothermal electricity Renewable
Biomass
Municipal solid waste and LFG
Natural gas, Methanol, Ethanol Either
In isolated communities, the most likely indigenous resource that
can produce local-energy-economy quantities of hydrogen are:
Wind, solar, hydroelectric and geothermal electricity
Diesel, propane may have a delivery infrastructure
Natural gas may be locally available or deliverable as LNG

5. Fuel Cell Utility Power Systems
Configuration options
Reformer
Liquid
and purifier
fossil fuel
Local grid
- OR -
Fuel cell
Hydrogen
PEM Electrical
SOFC
Delivered power
PAFC
Hydrogen
MCFC
AFC
Remote load
Hydrogen
- OR - Storage
Intermittent
Electrolyzer
renewable electricity

6. Source, process, storage and load options
Customer
• Community
• Mine
• Military post
• Autonomous device
Nature •__________
• Wind
• Sunlight
• Water flow Energy Storage
• Hydrogen-fuel cell
• Hydrogen-ICE gen
• Halogen fuel cell
Power Production
• Zn-Air fuel cell
• Wind turbine • Zn-FeCN fuel cell
• m Hydro Power logic
• Solar PV • Flywheel
controller
• Low-q water turbine • Compressed air
• Pumped hydro
• Battery
• Grid

7. Design criteria for remote hydrogen
fuel cell utility power system
Intermittent, renewable source
PRen = f(Pload-peak, hf/c, hEH2, hComp, Electrolyzer
CFRen, P(t)Ren, CostRen ) Power logic PEH2 = f(Pload-peak, PRen)
controller PEH2-out = f(CostEH2 , TypeEH2)
CostPLC = f(PThru-peak)
Nature
Compressor (if needed)
Fuel cell  
QC = f(QEH2)
Pf/c = f(Pload-peak,
PC-out = f(Ps)
Eelec. Stor)
PC-in = f(PEH2-Out)
Intermittent load
P(t)load = f(COE(t), User)
Cogenerated heat Es = f(Qmax, Pload-avg)
Hydrogen storage
DEs = f(hf/c, vehicles)
HC = f(hf/c, DCf/c)
Customer Ps = f(Costvessel, site space)

8. Wind, hydrogen, fuel cell isolated power system
Cogen heat

9. Relationship of load, capacity factor, efficiencies
to the power of renewable and electrolyzer
(1 - CfR) PlAV
PE = PR = Cf h h h
R E FC C
PE = Electrolyzer rated power
PR = Renewable peak capacity
PlAV = Average load power
Cf = Capacity factor
h = Efficiency (<1)
FC = Fuel cell system
C = Compressor

10. Effects of renewable capacity factor, electrolyzer
efficiency and fuel cell system efficiency on renewable
power and electrolyzer power needed
Load average is 100kW
hE = Electrolyzer efficiency
hE
hFC = Fuel cell power system efficiency
.65
hFC
.70
.75 .40
.40
.70 .40
.70
.54
.75
.55
.55

11. Effects of renewable capacity factor and
turn-around efficiency on renewable power
and electrolyzer power needed
Load average is 100kW
hTurn-around
.25
.30
.35
.40
.45
.50
.60
.70

12. DRI residential scale, renewable hydrogen,
fuel cell test facility and refuel station
Wind turbines Computer
1.5 kW each Controlled
Load
Energy storage
0 - 5kW
components
Computer
and
Power
Logic
Electricity
Controller
Hydrogen
Electrolyzer
Fuel cell
5 kW
2 kW PEM
Hydrogen
Hydrogen
Storage
Dispensing
150 psi
Solar arrays and trackers
1.0 kW each

13. Components of DRI renewable hydrogen,
fuel cell test facility
Two 1.5 kW
Wind Turbines
Two 1 kW
Solar Arrays
2 kW PEM Fuel Cell
Hydrogen
Generator
Hydrogen
Storage
Tank
Hydrogen
Refueling Planned Hydrogen
Station Fuel Cell Vehicle

14. Renewable Hydrogen Energy Research System at DRI

15. Kotzebue, Alaska wind turbine site
650 kW of
wind power
in 10 wind
turbines
Kivalina
Kotzebue
Wales
Deering
Nome
Fairbanks
Anchorage
Juneau
Seward
St. Paul
St. George

16. Kotzebue, AK wind turbine site
Wind Turbine Power
AOC 15/50 Wind Turbines Control Building KOTZ Radio
Transmitter
Tundra

17. Wind, hydrogen, fuel cell power for KOTZ Radio Transmitter
11-MW Diesel
Village of Kotzebue, AK Power Plant
Conceptual design done as
part of a system study for
USDOE on hydrogen for Three
energy storage of intermittent, miles
renewable power in isolated
areas.
Excess
Excess
Wind
Wind
Power
Power
Power
Grid
Project
addition
Wind
Switch
Power
Out
Condenser
Fuel cell system
Propane-to-
and inverter
hydrogen
Water recycling
reformer
Hydrogen storage
Propane
100% penetration wind turbine modifications
650 kW AOC 10 wind turbine array

18. Wind, hydrogen, fuel cell power for village loads
Fuel cell system
Switch and inverter
Out
11-MW Diesel
Village of Kotzebue
Power Plant
Three
miles
Three
miles
Hydrogen transmission line
250-psig, 1/2” Dia.
Proportional
Power
Water storage
650 kW AOC 10 wind turbine array

19. Evolution of system capital costs for different loads
Evolution of system capital costs for different loads
50
45
40
35
System $/Wp
KOTZ Radio transmitter
30
Kivalina Village
25
St. George Island
20
Kotzebue Village
15
10
5
0
Today Near-term Far-term
Time frame

20. Summary
Integrated hydrogen utility systems are an ultimate goal for future power

systems.
 The inclusion of transportation fuel in remote locations adds significant
value.
 Other storage systems include pumped hydro and batteries.
Wind power, micro-hydroelectric and low-q water current are promising power

input stream sources for northern communities.
The technologies necessary for an integrated renewable hydrogen power system

are available, and close to the costs needed for full economic use in remote
applications.
 Cost is a greater challenge than technological development at this point.
New system models are key enablers to permitting development of the market

for integrated hydrogen systems

21. How do we implement hydrogen in the near term?
• Implement: To render commercially practical. To get into the mainstream
of society. To transition from exclusively publicly funded research to
successful private enterprise.
• Test out implementation ideas for hydrogen with people who want to make
money in the commercial marketplace, not the research marketplace.
• With what we now know, can we think of a way to convince financing
sources to invest in selling any niche product?
• Niche is where it’s at!
• How much of this is an individual activity? How much is a group
(NHA?) activity?
• Niche markets. (High value, small production runs)
• Past the “valley of death” for new technologies, from early adopters to
small, sustained commercial support.
Implement hydrogen? Find the beginning. Start there.

22. Carbon management
CO2 sequestration:
• Sequester CO2 from the atmosphere in the form of
biomass. (50 - 500 million years ago)
• Convert biomass into chemically and physically stable form
of sequestered carbon.
• Maintain chemically and physically stable form of
carbon (coal and oil) for 10s to 100s of millions of years.
CO2 recovery:
• Recover sequestered carbon and call it hydrocarbon fuel.
• Convert it into energy and the original CO2 to power a
few 10’s of decades of humanity.
CO2 resequestration:
• Collect CO2 from power systems.
• Reinsert into oceans, earth, aquifers, only a physical process away
from the environment.
• Since any CO2 resequestered remains as CO2 forever, the
resequestering needs to last longer than the sequestering
of nuclear waste.

23. Ponderous points to ponder
• An automobile engine is made in the U.S. every 2.1 seconds, 24
hours a day, 7 days a week. (15 million/year)
• The U.S. pays $1 billion a week to import foreign oil. (more than
1/3 of trade deficit)
• The U.S. spends over $50 billion a year to defend our oil interests in
the Persian Gulf, not counting periodic conflicts. (over 65¢/gallon)
• Health care costs in the U.S. related to fossil fuel combustion are
in excess of $50 billion a year. (over 65¢/gallon)
• 2 billion people (1/3 of the world population) have yet to benefit
from utility electricity.
•The US and the world are beginning to become customer bases
for new energy technologies. Who will be the purveyors?