Hydrogen Optimized Elevates Performance of its RuggedCell™ Water Electrolyzers in Simulation of Intermittent Wind Power for Truly Green Hydrogen
March 6, 2023
Collaboration with CWP Global demonstrates RuggedCell™ technology’s unique suitability to the challenging conditions of large-scale wind and solar-powered hydrogen projects
Hydrogen Optimized, a subsidiary of Key DH Technologies Inc., has achieved high performance benchmarks for its patented RuggedCell™ water electrolyzers in a simulation of variable power conditions found at the 30 GW AMAN green hydrogen project in Mauritania.
The project is led by CWP Global, a renewable energy developer building large-scale green hydrogen projects around the globe. Green hydrogen is expected to supply 15% of the world’s energy needs by 2050, in a net zero scenario. CWP Global is moving quickly to produce a significant share of the green hydrogen required by 2030 to ensure the world is on track to a net zero future, and to meet global demand.
In order to deliver the first shipments of green hydrogen and its derivatives within this decade, CWP Global is building projects in prime locations rich in renewable energy and partnering with industry leaders to ensure the right technology is implemented. CWP Global recently signed an MOU with Hydrogen Optimized to explore the integration of 500-750 MW RuggedCell™ green hydrogen plants with the company’s wind and solar portfolio.
The simulation, conducted at Hydrogen Optimized’s High-Power Demonstration Facility in Owen Sound, replicated wide swings in the electrical power input to RuggedCell™ electrolyzers that correspond with the Mauritania project’s actual wind profile. A key finding is that RuggedCell™ technology maximizes the production of consistently pure hydrogen gas by efficiently utilizing the available intermittent energy from renewable sources such as wind and solar across a wide range of electrical power input. Previous experiments have demonstrated that the RuggedCell™ responds dynamically to variations in electrical current levels from 0 to 100% power load in seconds.
This capability is vital to the economic viability of large-scale green hydrogen plants that are powered by intermittent renewable energy. CWP’s projects are typically located in remote locations served by “island grids” that are not connected to public electrical grids, which are typically more stable.
“We look forward to building on our collaboration with Hydrogen Optimized as they scale up their RuggedCell™ solution to meet the demanding requirements of our multi-gigawatt scale renewable energy projects,” said Alex Hewitt, CEO of CWP Global. “The simulation results are promising and demonstrate that electrolysis can be well-suited not only to the very large scale of our projects but also to the off-grid wind and solar installations that power them.”
Andrew T. B. Stuart, President and CEO of Hydrogen Optimized, commented, “The recent simulation further validates that the RuggedCell™’s high power design is ideal for the world’s largest green hydrogen installations. By operating our solution in replicated real-world conditions, we have demonstrated that it delivers the efficiency, stability, reliability and cost-effectiveness that are critical to the success of major green hydrogen projects.”
The simulation demonstrated that the RuggedCell™:
- Operates efficiently over the full dynamic range of power produced by real-world intermittent renewable energy conditions;
- Produces stable hydrogen gas purity over the entire dynamic range; and
- Maintains excellent thermal stability during operation for optimal energy efficiency.
Another significant advantage of the RuggedCell™ is its design simplicity. This makes it durable and reliable – an advantage particularly in challenging environmental conditions such as those found in remote deserts. For example, the RuggedCell™ does not require gas-liquid circulation pumps, in contrast with most other water electrolysis systems. As a result, there are no parasitic power loads that would otherwise diminish the system efficiency and reduce hydrogen production.
“One of the biggest challenges in designing a water electrolysis system to be compatible with wind and solar is the efficient conversion of inherently intermittent energy supplies into hydrogen at the consistent purity, temperature and flow rate required by end users,” Stuart said. “Our ongoing collaboration with CWP Global has accelerated our progress in optimizing the RuggedCell™ for gigawatt scale green hydrogen projects in challenging real-world conditions.”
