Periodic Reporting for period 2 - BALANCE (Increasing penetration of renewable power, alternative fuels and grid flexibility by cross-vector electrochemical processes)
Période du rapport: 2018-06-01 au 2019-11-30
We ambition to address this problem with the reversible high temperature electrolyser technology. High temperature steam electrolysers use electricity to produce hydrogen that can be used as a fuel or stored for a later time. A reversible electrolyser is capable of converting this hydrogen back into electricity, meaning it can store electrical energy in the form of a chemical fuel that can be easily stored for short or long periods. Since this technology is based on Reversible Solid Oxide Cells, it is referred to as rSOC. The technology is not yet mature in terms of performance and cost for market entry. The partners of the BALANCE project are joining their effort to develop this technology and to demonstrate its feasibility. Reversible electrolyser technology is expected to support the growth of wind and solar energy by providing grid-balancing services.
As a European Common Research and Innovation Agendas (ECRIA) project, BALANCE builds on significant achievements in national research programmes. A key outcome of BALANCE was the drafting of a European research agenda for the Reversible Solid Oxide Cell technology to coordinate the European R&D effort in order to accelerate technological development and deployment of rSOC.
Our technical objectives are to improve the technology at different scales - from electrode microstructure to system - and demonstrate it at system level in two locations. We aim to achieve 50 % efficiency in fuel cell mode and 90 % efficiency in electrolysis mode. The project should also investigate the most efficient and feasible downstream processing of the produced hydrogen into more conventional fuels.
In addition, European-wide survey on energy storage collected a significant number of answers that is open for consultation after data processing. This survey work was the basis for the drafting of an integrated European research agenda for rSOC technology. This public document presents the different research efforts and achievement obtained so far in the field and advise future development needs and needed support at the European level.
All public deliverables of the BALANCE project are available on the website: https://www.balance-project.org/
During the project, we demonstrated rSOC at system level including all the relevant Balance-of-Plant components and using the unit cells manufactured by DTU and assembled into stacks by CEA, two of the BALANCE partners.
In addition, important developments were made at cell level (improved cell durability), at interconnect level (mapping of performance of different steal and coating combination in rSOC relevant atmosphere) and at stack level (optimisation for rSOC operation).
Such achievements have important implications in the capacity of the European Union to reach their energy targets, since rSOC technology support the introduction of renewable electricity sources by acting as an energy buffer by converting surplus power into chemical form (hydrogen for example) and converting it back into electricity when the power supply cannot keep up with the demand. In addition, rSOC bridges the electricity grid and chemical fuel production, which can increase the share of renewable in the transport fuel mix.