WP4 focuses on characterising hydrogen demand and production mechanisms across various scales and scenarios, particularly emphasising green hydrogen production methods that could significantly impact electrical distribution networks. The project will leverage insights from initiatives like the Hydrogen Accelerator and University of St Andrews research on high-efficiency reversible solid oxide cells to model hydrogen demand in sectors such as heavy transportation, agriculture, and marine applications.
Different hydrogen production technologies will be mapped and modelled, with a detailed understanding of their production characteristics developed through experimental observations. A primary goal is to analyse the impacts of green hydrogen production via steam electrolysis on the grid, particularly regarding demand surges and transients, which will inform WP2.
The work package will focus on the 614 Hydrogen train, which was showcased at Bo’ness, that will soon have its 70 kW Ballard fuel cell system (previously used to partly power the train) relocated to Eden Campus at the University of St Andrews, where it will be integrated into the Hydrogen Living Laboratory (HLL).
The HLL is St Andrews’ cluster of hydrogen related technologies including a NEL C10 electrolyser, as Hyundai Nexo Hydrogen Car, 250 kg of high pressure Hydrogen storage, and a hydrogen refuelling station.
The 70 kW PEM fuel cell system enables the generation of power from hydrogen for the local grid and beyond during peak demand periods. As part of the ENSIGN project, the production and use of hydrogen will be modeled in the development of a digital twin.
The Hyundai Nexo Hydrogen Fuel Cell car has been purchased as demonstrator vehicle. As such, the researchers are working closely with the University of St Andrews Estates department to analyse and utilise the vehicle to its fullest capacity.
The vehicle will be fuelled by hydrogen produced by our 80 kW electrolyser on the Eden Campus in Fife. This electrolyser is integrated with the renewable energy resources of the campus including a 1 MW PV array.
Together, the vehicle and the electrolyser will be modelled to assess their potential impact on future energy networks.
The project will also explore the long-term potential of hydrogen for heating applications (feeding into WP3) and its industrial uses (addressed in WP5). Investigations will include reversible operation of fuel cells to support hydrogen production in off-grid scenarios, as well as hydrogen’s role in grid-scale energy storage and its capacity to provide operational flexibility for grid balancing services, including inertia and frequency regulation.
The component models developed in this WP will be integrated and validated across various use cases, culminating in the development and integration of a hydrogen sub-Digital Twin (sub-DT) into the overall IES-DT, with optimisation tasks as needed. This integration is set to be completed by milestone 5.
