ENERGY MANAGEMENT COMPARISONS WITH MICROGRIDS: AN OVERVIEW OF TRADITIONAL AND HYDROGEN HYBRID MICROGRIDS

Abstract

Energy management in a microgrid is a timely topic because of the Canadian Government’s Sustainable Development Strategy (2020 to 2023) to help Canada reach net-zero emissions. Defining a green and cost-effective microgrid involves solving a complex optimization problem. The design will involve a multi-disciplinary team of sustainable and renewable energy engineers, electrical and electronic engineers, and computing and software engineers. Integrating such a team is not easy. The HOMER Software (Hybrid Optimization Model for Multiple Energy Resources) is widely used to communicate the ideas of microgrid energy designs into a final production proposal. The HOMER software facilitates the integration of multi-disciplinary teams for designing microgrids. We used HOMER to design and simulate a hydrogen hybrid microgrid to meet the power needs of a hypothetical data centre. The proposed system is the first of its kind to specifically target the Sarnia, Ontario where the largest photovoltaic plant in Canada with installed capacity of 97 megawatt peak (MWP) is located. The non-conventional energy sources in Sarnia include over 45 wind turbines, access roads, meteorological towers, electrical collector lines, substations, and a 115 kilovolt (KV) transmission line. Cost comparisons and sensitivity analysis are done considering the hydrogen production and storage technologies (i.e. hydrogen tank attachment). Assuming appropriate government rebate programs, the hydrogen hybrid microgrid is proven to be financially beneficial in the long run.