Simulation study on wind-solar coupling hydrogen production system

In search of a lower-carbon and cleaner approach to hydrogen production, and to reduce the phenomenon of wind and solar energy curtailment as much as possible, this paper designs an integrated wind and solar coupled hydrogen production system with a daily output of 100,000 Nm3, based on meteorological data from a certain location in Jilin Province, China. The system is simulated using TRNSYS software, and the impact of the hydrogen storage tank and the electrolysis water hydrogen production unit on the system is analyzed based on the simulation results. Thus, while using the TRNSYS simulation it was possible to analyze the influence of the system operating parameters and characteristics of the hydrogen storage equipment on the system operating conditions. The research results indicate that the electricity fed into and drawn from the grid by the wind-solar coupled hydrogen production system decreases as the ratio of the single hydrogen extraction volume to the rated capacity of the hydrogen storage tank increases. When the installed capacity of the wind and photovoltaic power generation devices are both 40 MW, and the theoretical maximum hydrogen production of the electrolyzed water hydrogen generation device is 7074. 2 Nm³·h^-1 , the ratio of power supplied from the grid will be no less than 8.88%, and the power grid power extraction ratio will not be less than 16.97%. Under the meteorological conditions of the selected area, when the capacity ratio of wind power to photovoltaic power generation is 1:1, the power fluctuations of the wind power generation facility have a more significant impact on the system’s power variations. Appropriately reducing the proportion of wind power installation capacity can suppress the system’s power fluctuations and ensure the smooth operation of the system. These fluctuations can be offset by regulating the percent of installed wind capacity, which will maintain stability. When planning wind-solar coupled hydrogen production, it is essential to choose and determine an appropriate ratio of wind/solar power generation. Also, if the initial investment is possible, it is advantageous to expand the storage capacity of hydrogen.