Project number
25075
Organization
UA Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering
Offering
ENGR498-F2024-S2025
The energy production industry demonstrates a rising need for renewable infrastructure to replace aging equipment and increase system resilience. Microgrid technologies are an effective tool for combating these challenges. The combination of renewable resources and energy storage allows microgrids to provide energy to support demand despite the intermittency of solar and wind. However, energy storage remains a challenge. Hydrogen is an emerging energy storage solution that may offer higher efficiency and environmental sustainability than conventional batteries.
The team designed a neighborhood microgrid in Tucson that uses solar power from photovoltaic cells. To ensure reliability, the grid is backed up by hydrogen technology, which can supply further electricity when needed. Combining solar panels, an electrolyzer, hydrogen storage and a fuel cell allows the microgrid to provide energy to residents under any weather conditions. The team created a DERMS model to visualize energy flows and address challenges of widely fluctuating energy inputs and load requirements.
This design pioneers scalability and safe implementation of novel hydrogen technology. The team created tools and developed models that are designed for easy adaptation to diverse microgrid applications. Similar systems can be implemented in data centers, electric vehicle charging stations and universities.
The team designed a neighborhood microgrid in Tucson that uses solar power from photovoltaic cells. To ensure reliability, the grid is backed up by hydrogen technology, which can supply further electricity when needed. Combining solar panels, an electrolyzer, hydrogen storage and a fuel cell allows the microgrid to provide energy to residents under any weather conditions. The team created a DERMS model to visualize energy flows and address challenges of widely fluctuating energy inputs and load requirements.
This design pioneers scalability and safe implementation of novel hydrogen technology. The team created tools and developed models that are designed for easy adaptation to diverse microgrid applications. Similar systems can be implemented in data centers, electric vehicle charging stations and universities.