Optimal operation scheduling of a PV-BESS-Electrolyzer system for hydrogen production and frequency regulation

Abstract

As the green hydrogen industry develops, hybrid renewable power supply configurations emerge as a solution to increasing electrolyzer load factor. In particular, solar photovoltaics (PV) paired with Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) will provide a suitable option for continuous power supply as their investment costs continue to decline during the next decade. An opportunity arises to use the plant’s energy resources to provide grid services without hindering hydrogen production. Motivated by this, this paper presents a chance-constrained stochastic model for the optimal operation scheduling of a PV-BESS-Electrolyzer system participating in energy and ancillary services markets. Scenarios are used to account for uncertainty in solar power availability and energy content of the frequency regulation signal, and a degradation model is included to properly consider the effect of repeated battery cycling. Computational experiments using PJM market data and a realistic time frame show the benefits of the proposed model, achieving 10.2% more profits than the deterministic benchmark problem, while maintaining low failure rates in the provision of the regulation service and a similar hydrogen production compared to an off-grid standalone operation.