Research Focus

NREL research will focus on the following areas:

• Explore system-level integration issues related to multiple electrolyzers that produce hydrogen gas at different pressures

• Evaluate the ability to integrate energy from variable-speed wind turbines directly to the hydrogen-producing stacks of commercially-available electrolyzers

• Determine the system impacts and ability of each electrolyzer technology to accommodate the varying energy input from wind turbines and photovoltaics

• Quantify system-level efficiency improvements and cost reductions by designing, building, and integrating dedicated wind-to-electrolyzer stack power electronics to enable closer coupling of wind-generated electricity and electrolyzer stack requirements

• Gain operational experience of a hydrogen production facility, including the compression of product gas and the use of a hydrogen internal combustion engine to generate electricity during peak demand hours

• Evaluate appropriate safety systems and system controls for the safe operation of hydrogen production technologies with varying wind energy input

• Demonstrate operation of a wind-to-hydrogen system to enable evaluation of actual system costs and identify areas for cost and efficiency improvements

• Explore operational challenges and opportunities related to energy storage systems and their potential for addressing electric system integration issues inherent with variable wind energy resources.

Project Benefits

The Wind2H2 project offers many benefits. It allows researchers to explore how to make hydrogen without producing greenhouse gasses or other harmful by-products. Currently, most hydrogen is "reformed" from natural gas or other fossil fuels by stripping the hydrogen atoms out. This process creates greenhouse gas emissions and eliminates some of the environmental benefits. Hydrogen is also produced through electrolysis using sources of electricity (such as fossil fuels) that generate air emissions.

Other key project benefits include:

• Creating synergies from the co-production of electricity and hydrogen

• Addressing the variable nature of wind power by storing hydrogen for later use, creating a ready source of electricity for when the wind doesn't blow or the demand for electricity is high

• Producing hydrogen for use in vehicles

• Comparing multiple electrolyzer technologies to gauge their efficiencies and abilities to accommodate the variable input power of wind energy

• Achieving efficiency gains though a unique, integrated AC-to-DC and DC-to-DC connection between the wind turbines and the electrolyzer stacks.