Scientists in Austria have performed a risk analysis for four setups for linked PV-Electrollyser systems and have tested them under three use cases. They calculated failure opportunity and the level of the level of hydrogen and the risk -weighted variant.
Researchers from the Austrian Institute for Technology have carried out a risk analysis of linked PV-Electrollysers systems and have shown that electrolyzers have a higher chance of total system failure compared to the PV factory.
“This article presents a new and integrated risk -cost framework for designing and operating PV -Magazine. “It promotes the state of art by combining error tree reliability modeling, failure data at component level and economic evaluation, culminating in a risk-infected techno-economic metric.
The analysis was performed using Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), based on a combination of scientific literature sources. This enables the team to calculate the chance of failure, as well as the empty costs of hydrogen (LCOH) and its risk -weighted variant (LCOHR).
The academics considered four applications scenarios. In Scenario 1.1, the electricity immediately put on the market is invoiced to the customer via a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), whereby the electrical energy is transferred from the generation site to the electrolysis site via the low, medium and high -voltage schedule. In scenario 1.2, the PV system is on site, with electrical energy used through the same connections with low or medium voltage. In both cases the systems are considered as state-of-the-art.
In scenarios 2.0 and 3.0 the system is considered as state-of-the-art, with DC-DC direct coupling or DC-DC-Rigid direct coupling respectively. Scenario 2.0 takes into account immediately linked PV electrolysis systems with DC-DC Direct link between the PV system and the Electrolyzer via a DC-DC converter. In scenario 3.0 no DC-DC converter was used and the peripheral devices are also served for a minimum.
Image: Austrian Institute for Technology GmbH, Renewable Energy, CC by 4.0
Scenarios 1.1, 1.2 and 2.0 were considered in three use cases: Case 1 included a PV system of 5.6 MW, eight inverters, an electrolyzer of 1 MW with 4 pem stacks; Case 2 included a 1.2 MW PV system, three inverters and 1 MW electrolyzer with 4 pem stacks; Case 3 considered a PV system of 0.6 MW, one inverter and 1 MW Electrolyzer with 4 pem stacks. Scenario 3.0 uses two other use cases: the first includes 3.2 kW PV with a 3 kW electrolyzer and one stack, and in the second the PV system is 9.5 kW, with three electrolyzer stacks of 3 kW each.
“Inverters (PV) and the Air Blast cooler (electrolyzer system) are the most failure. There is a considerable leverage to reduce system failure through redundant design of both components,” Niederhofer said about the results. “There is a generally higher risk risk in the electrolyzer system compared to the PV system. Electrolyzer systems have less leverage to reduce the risk of failure because these are technically complex, holistically designed systems.”
Specifically, scenario 1.1 had a reliability of 79.97%, 79.89%and 69.97%respectively for use cases 1.2 and 3. Scenario 1.2 had a reliability of 80.06%, 79.96%and 70.01%for Use Cases 1, 2 and 3 .2, 8.2, and 8.2.2, 8.2, and 8.2.2, and 8.2.2, and 8.2.2, and 3. 85.2% for use cases 1, 2 and 3. Scenario 3.0 had a reliability of 93.99% and 99.97% for use cases 1 and 2 respectively.
“Redundant design of PV-Omsverter can lead to a significant decrease in the risk. It leads to a reduction of 60% of the risk-weighted LCOH, LCOHR,” concluded Niederhofer. “It was also shown that the state of science scenarios (DC linked) also have the potential to produce hydrogen cheaply and reliably. This is therefore an option to meet the increasing demand for hydrogen in the future.”
The research work was presented in “Risk analysis of linked PV-Electrollyser systems“Published in Renewable energy. Scientists from the Austrian Austrian Institute for Technology and Vienna University of Technology participated in the research.
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