Periodic Reporting for period 2 - PROMETEO (Hydrogen PROduction by MEans of solar heat and power in high TEmperature Solid Oxide Electrolysers)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2022-07-01 al 2023-06-30
It is widely recognized that today’s great challenges of the human being are dealing with the mitigation of climate change and the safe access to low-cost energy sources and carriers. The expansion of the use of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) is a priority. However, maximizing the RES penetration in our energy systems for the production of energy vectors, such as electricity and hydrogen, requires the solution of technical issues to cope with the intermittency of the (non-programmable) sources, seasonal variations, need for storage, balance/management of the grids, security of supply and low-cost of power and hydrogen production. Some technology solutions exist (e.g. photovoltaic and concentrating solar systems for power and heat generation, energy storage systems, electrolyzers) but their combination to best achieve the above objectives has to be developed and demonstrated.
Green hydrogen production at low-cost will foster the decarbonization of hard-to-abate industrial sectors (e.g. the chemical, steel, fertilizer industry); hydrogen can replace natural gas in the gas infrastructure and also improve the management of power grids with increasing RES footprint.
In this context, the project PROMETEO proposes a solution for green hydrogen production from renewable heat & power sources by high temperature electrolysis in areas of low electricity prices associated to photovoltaic or wind.
Solid Oxide Electrolysis (SOE) is a highly efficient technology to convert heat & power into hydrogen from water usually validated in steady-state operation. However, the heat for steam generation may not be available for the operation of the SOE when inexpensive power is offered (e.g. off-grid peak, photovoltaics or wind). Thus, the challenge is to optimize the coupling of the SOE with two intermittent sources: non-programmable renewable electricity and high-temperature solar heat from Concentrating Solar (CS) systems with Thermal Energy Storage (TES) to supply solar heat when power is made available.
In PROMETEO a fully integrated optimized system will be developed, where the SOE combined with the TES and ancillary components will efficiently convert intermittent heat & power sources to hydrogen. The design will satisfy different criteria: end-users’ needs, sustainability aspects, regulatory & safety concerns, scale-up and engineering issues.
A fully-equipped modular prototype with at least 25 kWe SOE (about 15 kg/day hydrogen production) and TES will be designed, built, connected to representative external power/heat sources and validated in real context (TRL 5). Particular attention will be given to partial load operation, transients and hot stand-by periods.
Industrial end-users will lead to techno-economic and sustainability studies to apply the technology in on-grid and off-grid scenarios and for different end-uses: utility for grid balancing, power-to-gas, and hydrogen as feedstock for the fertilizer and chemical industry.
Green hydrogen production at low-cost will foster the decarbonization of hard-to-abate industrial sectors (e.g. the chemical, steel, fertilizer industry); hydrogen can replace natural gas in the gas infrastructure and also improve the management of power grids with increasing RES footprint.
In this context, the project PROMETEO proposes a solution for green hydrogen production from renewable heat & power sources by high temperature electrolysis in areas of low electricity prices associated to photovoltaic or wind.
Solid Oxide Electrolysis (SOE) is a highly efficient technology to convert heat & power into hydrogen from water usually validated in steady-state operation. However, the heat for steam generation may not be available for the operation of the SOE when inexpensive power is offered (e.g. off-grid peak, photovoltaics or wind). Thus, the challenge is to optimize the coupling of the SOE with two intermittent sources: non-programmable renewable electricity and high-temperature solar heat from Concentrating Solar (CS) systems with Thermal Energy Storage (TES) to supply solar heat when power is made available.
In PROMETEO a fully integrated optimized system will be developed, where the SOE combined with the TES and ancillary components will efficiently convert intermittent heat & power sources to hydrogen. The design will satisfy different criteria: end-users’ needs, sustainability aspects, regulatory & safety concerns, scale-up and engineering issues.
A fully-equipped modular prototype with at least 25 kWe SOE (about 15 kg/day hydrogen production) and TES will be designed, built, connected to representative external power/heat sources and validated in real context (TRL 5). Particular attention will be given to partial load operation, transients and hot stand-by periods.
Industrial end-users will lead to techno-economic and sustainability studies to apply the technology in on-grid and off-grid scenarios and for different end-uses: utility for grid balancing, power-to-gas, and hydrogen as feedstock for the fertilizer and chemical industry.
PROMETEO is planned as a 42-month project, with a work plan consisting of 8 Work Packages (WP). Research and Innovation is carried out in WP2-7 according to a work plan divided into two main phases. The 1st phase of the project is focused on the individual components, with laboratory validation (where needed), development of integrated Process Flow Diagrams (PFD) and system modelling. The 2nd phase is mainly focused on the design, construction and validation of the prototype plant (at least 25 kWe, about 15 kg/day hydrogen production).
During the 1st Period of the project (Months 1-18) the above “phase 1” was mainly implemented in WP2-4. The project started with the assessment of end-users’ requirements, development of preliminary PFD and identification of basic units’ specifications (WP2). Key components (SOE stack, TES-SG and BoP) were developed and individually tested (WP3). Process schemes developed in WP2 were preliminarily analysed with modelling and simulation activities in WP4 to assess the possibility to reach the project targets.
During the 2nd Period (Months 19-30, from July 2022 to June 2023) the “phase 1” was concluded and “phase 2” started. Results obtained in WP2-5 represented relevant input for the prototype design in WP5. The output from WP2 and WP3 was analysed with further system modelling and process flowsheets analysed in WP4 under expected operation conditions: full capacity, partial load, hot stand-by, night mode. Performance was assessed to conclude that the developed layout successfully meets project’s targets. Design and engineering activities started to develop prototype in WP5 required several input/output iterations to align the results from WP4 (implementation of process simulation model) with the requirements of WP5 (basic design). Additionally, during the last months of the 2nd Period, activities aiming at the “assessment & exploitation of results” started in WP7 with the definition case studies by end-users.
Dissemination and Communication activities (WP8) have been carried out by several means such as the presentation of results at international conferences and the continuous update of the project website.
During the 1st Period of the project (Months 1-18) the above “phase 1” was mainly implemented in WP2-4. The project started with the assessment of end-users’ requirements, development of preliminary PFD and identification of basic units’ specifications (WP2). Key components (SOE stack, TES-SG and BoP) were developed and individually tested (WP3). Process schemes developed in WP2 were preliminarily analysed with modelling and simulation activities in WP4 to assess the possibility to reach the project targets.
During the 2nd Period (Months 19-30, from July 2022 to June 2023) the “phase 1” was concluded and “phase 2” started. Results obtained in WP2-5 represented relevant input for the prototype design in WP5. The output from WP2 and WP3 was analysed with further system modelling and process flowsheets analysed in WP4 under expected operation conditions: full capacity, partial load, hot stand-by, night mode. Performance was assessed to conclude that the developed layout successfully meets project’s targets. Design and engineering activities started to develop prototype in WP5 required several input/output iterations to align the results from WP4 (implementation of process simulation model) with the requirements of WP5 (basic design). Additionally, during the last months of the 2nd Period, activities aiming at the “assessment & exploitation of results” started in WP7 with the definition case studies by end-users.
Dissemination and Communication activities (WP8) have been carried out by several means such as the presentation of results at international conferences and the continuous update of the project website.
The ambition of PROMETEO is the significant advancement towards an integrated SOE technology that maximizes hydrogen production efficiency and minimizes the impact of RES intermittencies by the incorporation of dispatchable solar heat coming from a solar thermal plant.
To advance the state-of-the-art, the project PROMETEO addresses key innovations involving the development and validation in a relevant environment of an ad-hoc stack fed with steam from a representative thermal energy storage unit. The necessary innovation in the simulation field is also needed to establish a portfolio of toolboxes for optimization, system performance analysis and dynamic performance analysis, as well as the elaboration of reliable end-use studies at commercial level, thanks to the inclusion of three end-users in the Consortium.
More in detail, the following key innovations are expected from the PROMETEO project:
• Development and testing of a fully integrated low-cost and high-performance SOE with at least 25 kWe power capacity; the expected yield in electrolysis mode will be 15 kgH2/day for a power consumption of 25 kWe.
• Demonstration of the SOE operation for at least 1,000 hours in relevant environment (TRL 5).
• Demonstration of heat integration with Concentrating Solar by the first-ever adaption of a specific Thermal Energy Storage (TES) system to operate in an integrated way with SOE technology. The innovation will lead to a customized TES/Steam Generation system to produce stable steam at 150ºC by means of molten salts.
• Development of advanced system analysis toolboxes for process integration optimization and performance analysis under steady state and dynamic conditions, to assess optimum integration solutions of SOE with solar heat and PV/wind power generation technologies.
• A reliable up-scaling to multi-MWe analysis for integrated end-use applications in grid balancing, power-to-gas and in chemical industry.
The above innovation targets will potentially provide a solution for low-cost green hydrogen production to foster the decarbonization of hard-to-abate industrial and energy sectors; besides contributing to the mitigation of climate change and the safe access to low-cost energy carriers, PROMETEO will lead to potential societal benefits such as new job creation in the emerging green economy.
To advance the state-of-the-art, the project PROMETEO addresses key innovations involving the development and validation in a relevant environment of an ad-hoc stack fed with steam from a representative thermal energy storage unit. The necessary innovation in the simulation field is also needed to establish a portfolio of toolboxes for optimization, system performance analysis and dynamic performance analysis, as well as the elaboration of reliable end-use studies at commercial level, thanks to the inclusion of three end-users in the Consortium.
More in detail, the following key innovations are expected from the PROMETEO project:
• Development and testing of a fully integrated low-cost and high-performance SOE with at least 25 kWe power capacity; the expected yield in electrolysis mode will be 15 kgH2/day for a power consumption of 25 kWe.
• Demonstration of the SOE operation for at least 1,000 hours in relevant environment (TRL 5).
• Demonstration of heat integration with Concentrating Solar by the first-ever adaption of a specific Thermal Energy Storage (TES) system to operate in an integrated way with SOE technology. The innovation will lead to a customized TES/Steam Generation system to produce stable steam at 150ºC by means of molten salts.
• Development of advanced system analysis toolboxes for process integration optimization and performance analysis under steady state and dynamic conditions, to assess optimum integration solutions of SOE with solar heat and PV/wind power generation technologies.
• A reliable up-scaling to multi-MWe analysis for integrated end-use applications in grid balancing, power-to-gas and in chemical industry.
The above innovation targets will potentially provide a solution for low-cost green hydrogen production to foster the decarbonization of hard-to-abate industrial and energy sectors; besides contributing to the mitigation of climate change and the safe access to low-cost energy carriers, PROMETEO will lead to potential societal benefits such as new job creation in the emerging green economy.