Design optimisation for solar to green hydrogen plants

Hydrogen Waves（HyWaves）正在开发一种创新技术，使太阳能光伏发电厂能够以更低的成本和最佳的性能生产绿色氢气：H2 Top是一种新型的电源管理和控制架构，它将避免传统解决方案的多个转换阶段（DC-AC-DC），直接将电解槽与太阳能光伏阵列或其他直流绿色能源直接连接。我们取消了太阳能光伏逆变器和电解槽电源单元，取而代之的是简单可靠的电源开关电子设备。我们提高了能源效率，降低了绿色制氢的成本，与现有解决方案相比，节省了超过17%的氢气平准化成本（LCOH）。H2 Top架构可以集成二次锂电池，进一步降低北方国家太阳能光伏绿色制氢的成本。通过在整个系统中端到端使用直流电，促进了电池集成。我们将设计一个直流耦合混合动力系统的原型，在同一个工厂中支持光伏、电池存储、氢气和发电。该项目设计优化将大大减少安装绿色氢气生产工厂的资金和时间投资，还将促进氢气在中期储能中的广泛使用。HyWaves与克兰菲尔德大学合作，成功地展示了H2 Top的潜力，1千瓦的示范工厂，现在正在升级到自动化操作和20千瓦的工业规模。以人为本和以地球为中心的设计方法将应用于设计纯氢和混合动力工厂，提供多种服务，如电力，储能，制氢。这些混合动力车很有吸引力，因为它将为工业、住宅和商业活动提供可靠的能源，平衡昂贵的短期锂储存和基于氢的更便宜的长期能量储存。电池的共享使用为电动和氢气方面带来了优势，降低了成本，并允许集成商业现成的部件。该项目的最终目标是在考虑最终用户需求的情况下，对技术进行合理的设计。这意味着H2 Top电力电子设备和不同品牌的模块化电解槽之间的接口设计得以简化。对于混合动力发电厂，这意味着设计一个可以轻松扩展和适应不同终端用户能耗的系统。在这两种情况下，设计的重点是用户对技术的接受和采用，以最大限度地提高对环境和社会的积极影响，并利用H2 Top架构可能带来的相关经济节省。

Hydrogen Waves (HyWaves) is developing an innovative technology enabling solar PV plants to produce green-hydrogen, with reduced cost and best performance: H2Top, a novel power management and control architecture, will avoid the multiple conversion stages (DC-AC-DC) of traditional solutions, by directly connecting, in Direct Current, the electrolyser with a solar PV array or other DC green energy source. We eliminate the solar PV inverter and the electrolyser power supply unit, replacing them with a simple and reliable power switching electronics. We improve the energy efficiency, and reduce the cost of green hydrogen production, with a saving exceeding 17% of the Levelized Cost of Hydrogen (LCOH) when compared with current solutions.The H2Top architecture can integrate second-life lithium batteries, to further reducing green-hydrogen production cost from solar PV in northern countries. Battery integration is facilitated by the end-to-end use of direct current throughout the system. We will design a prototype of DC-coupled hybrid systems where PV, battery storage, hydrogen and electric generation are supported in the same plant.This project design optimisation will significantly reduce the capital and time investment in installing green hydrogen production plants; will also promote a widespread use of hydrogen for medium term energy storage. HyWaves, in partnership with Cranfield University, has successfully demonstrated the H2Top potential with 1kW demonstration plant, now being upscaled to automated operation and 20 kW industrial-scale.The human-centred & planet-centred design approaches will be applied to designing both hydrogen-only and hybrid plants that offer multiple services like electricity, energy storage, hydrogen production. These hybrids are appealing because will offer a reliable source of energy to industries, residential and commercial activities, balancing the costly short-term lithium storage with a cheaper long-term energy storage based on hydrogen. A shared use of the battery, brings advantages to both the electric and hydrogen side, lowering their cost and allowing the integration of commercial off-the-shelf parts.The end goal of the project is a sound design of the technology, with end-users needs in mind. This means a simplified design of the interface between H2Top power electronics and modular electrolysers of different brand. For hybrid plants, means designing a system that can easily scale and adapt to different profiles of end-user energy consumption. In both cases, the design focus is on user acceptance and adoption of the technology, to maximise the positive impacts on the environment and society, and exploit the relevant economic savings possible with H2Top architecture.