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Team Germany I:
Consumption controlled autarkic energy supply
Booth Number:
H78/3
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Andreas Miege (29)
Matthias Hinz (29)
André Deibel
Fachhochschule Stralsund - University of Applied Sciences,
Stralsund, Germany |
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Andreas Miege |
Matthias Hinz |
André Deibel |
A team at University of Applied Sciences, Stralsund were showcasing their talents in implementing hydrogen fuel cell technologies into real life. Their works have reached realization at Ruden Island and at Barth. The fuel cell system built by the team offers a longer life time.
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In future regenerative energies will get more important caused
by the ending resources of conventional energies. Today the
consumer is used to have a one hundred percent availability
of electrical energy. The regenerative energies as a prospective
energy source will have to satisfy these requirements as well.
The aim of the University of Applied Sciences in Stralsund
is to design and to create such energy system which base on
the one hand on renewable energies but are on the other hand
independent on the temporal availability of the renewable
energy. A disadvantage of regenerative energies is that their
availability is inconstant and heavily predictable. These
facts need to be taken into consideration by designing an
energy system which has to fulfil the standards of today.
For this reason a necessary condition for these energy systems
is the independence of energy input (regenerative sources)
and energy output (consumption) by an internal energy storage
based on hydrogen. This configuration enables the energy supply
to satisfy consumption independent from the energy source.
Against this background the University in Stralsund supports
projects to realise such systems. Currently the University
initiates three projects, which show different ways for the
integration of hydrogen within renewable energy systems:
- Autarkic energy supply on the island Ruden
- Controlled energy supply by wind farms
- Hydrogen-Oxygen-Project in the sewage treatment plant at
Barth
In this paper the main focus lies on the first project -
the consumption controlled autarkic energy supply on an island
in the Baltic Sea. This island called Ruden is situated in
a nature reserve and therefore predestined for the use of
regenerative energy sources. One family is living on that
island. They guide the daily tourists through the nature and
through the island museum.
On that island annual solar radiation as also annual wind
speed are higher than average. Both energy sources in combination
are the basis for the energy supply on the island. The combination
of wind and solar energy includes the advantage of a more
homogenous energy basis, because the seasonal distribution
of both energy forms is diametrical opposed.
A hydrogen system is the third main component within this
autarkic energy supply. The hydrogen as a storage medium completes
the system to a one hundred percent available energy supply.
During times of low consumption and high energy inputs from
solar and wind generator the surplus energy is converted into
hydrogen by an alkaline electrolyser. The hydrogen is stored
in a low pressure tank at pressure level, which is determined
by the hydrogen output pressure of the electrolyser. In times,
when the demand is higher than the energy, which is available
from the regenerative sources, the hydrogen is reconverted
into electricity by a fuel cell system.
The fuel cell system called Nexa-Power-Rack is developed
by the University. One advantage against other fuel cell systems
is its longer life time. The reason for that is the so called
Dual-Management within the Nexa-Power-Rack. Further the Nexa-Power-Rack
is dimensioned for the energy supply of a one-family-house.
Due these facts the Nexa-Power-Rack is an important component
within a renewable energy supply.
A superior control system organizes the interaction between
the three energy sources (wind, solar, hydrogen) and the consumption
within the autarkic system. The control system monitors the
actual values of input and consumption. On the basis of this
data it manages an efficient energy distribution.
An enlargement of the idea of the island projects leads
to a solution of the current problem of increasing percentage
of wind energy in the grid. A combination of a wind park with
a hydrogen system leads to an independent energy supply by
wind parks. That means that this kind of wind parks delivers
energy in line with the demand of the grid unlike conventional
wind parks which follow simply the wind range. The storage
medium hydrogen compensates the temporal discrepancy between
wind range and consumption of the grid.
The third project which will be mentioned in this paper
is called “Hydrogen-Oxygen-Project in the sewage treatment
plant at Barth”. It represents an attempt to give an
example of the consumption controlled production of oxygen
and hydrogen by solar energy. A solar plant supplies the electrolyser
that produces both gases depending on consumption. In this
system the oxygen consumption determines the operation of
the autarkic energy system. The oxygen is used on site in
the settling tank of the local sewage treatment plant to expand
the capacity utilization. The by-product hydrogen is used
by a fuel cell bus for tourists and public transit near the
nature reserve ‘Fischland-Darß-Zingst’.
This project shows an autarkic gas production system based
on photovoltaic which is controlled by the oxygen and hydrogen
consumption.
These projects show the integration of hydrogen in autarkic
energy systems. The use of hydrogen within these systems increases
on the one hand their application area and on the other hand
their compatibility to the demands of several consumers. Especially
the autarkic energy supply on the island Ruden demonstrates
an expedient application of regenerative energies in combination
with hydrogen technologies in local areas. The used components
are conventional, but the innovations within the systems are
the intelligent combination of all components and a management
system which controls the components depending on the consumption.
More Information:
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