HYFLEXPOWER Project: Power-to-H

Green hydrogen generation from renewable energy and combustion in gas turbines are expected to play a crucial role in to the decarbonization of power generation. The HYFLEXPOWER project is a pioneering initiative aimed at demonstrating the feasibility and benefits of integrating 100% green hydrogen as a flexible power source within existing energy systems. This paper summarizes the first successful development, installation, and demonstration of a power-to-H2-to power pilot application at an existing cogeneration plant with a dry low emissions (DLE) Siemens Energy SGT-400 gas turbine in Saillat-sur-Vienne, France. During two separate test campaigns, the modernized plant and the SGT-400 gas turbine were successfully operated with hydrogen blends ranging from 0% to 100% in natural gas. The development and upgrades of hydrogen combustion technology, the gas turbine, and the cogeneration plant are discussed. Gas turbine testing results from Siemens Energy’s factory in Lincoln using natural gas and from the pilot demonstration plant in France using up to 100% H2 for carbon-free power generation, are presented. Additionally, the paper analyses the techno-economic feasibility of green hydrogen production, storage and utilisation in the cogeneration plant, via the development of an optimisation tool. The optimisation tool was applied in a case study involving the commercial operation of the SGT-400 gas turbine on 100% H2 vol, aiming to determine the optimal sizing and dispatch of the power-to-H2 energy system components.