Hydrogen sector impact on the power sector: power system development, grid planning and operation

The large-scale deployment of electrolysers will have a substantial effect on the electric grid.

Proper planning is essential to ensure that the electric grid can handle the additional load needed to feed the electrolysers while optimising the resources of decarbonised generation. The electric grid planning affected by the hydrogen sector is investigated by exploring the strategies for the expansion of hydrogen production capacity, the electrolysers impact on the grid, their localization, business models, as well as assessing the surging hydrogen valleys.

The hydrogen sector impact on the power system development analyses the impact of hydrogen sector beyond the pure grid perspective, enlarging to the development of the whole power system and on the wider energy system, under a “System of Systems” integrated perspective.

It focuses on the optimal use of energy resources, infrastructure, and the provision of long-term system services such as seasonal storage and strategic hydrogen reserves.

The hydrogen sector impact on the grid operation is investigated through exploring resource and technology-operational modes of electrolysers. Two types of flexibility provision are discussed:

• Short term flexibility at grid level: electrolysers flexibility potential for providing ancillary services, congestion management and voltage control.

• Long term flexibility at system wide level: addressing capacity planning challenge by optimizing hydrogen production and storage over time horizons from weeks to seasons to cater for long term/long range load and RES variations, thus also exploring the possibility of utilizing hydrogen transport and storage to enhance system flexibility. Finally, hydrogen exchanges are expected to become a cornerstone of the future hydrogen market architecture. The future development of such exchanges will help facilitating crossborder trade, reinforcing liquidity, and supporting investment certainty through predictable and transparent market conditions.