Effects of flexibility provision from Power-to-Hydrogen technology: a 2030 scenario analysis applied to the Italian case

The achievement of the net-zero emission target set at European level by 2050 demands a complete revision of the existing ways of operating and planning the energy system. In favor of more efficient solutions, the integration of the electricity and gas systems constitutes a way to optimize the exploitation of resources and reduce energy waste, as well as to abate carbon emissions and favor the integration of renewable energy. In addition, Power-to-Hydrogen (PtH) technology represents another valuable source of flexibility provision for the power system. Accordingly, this paper aims at showing the mathematical formulation adopted to model the operation of PtH devices in terms of hydrogen production by electricity consumption and a realistic and efficient provision of secondary and tertiary active power reserve margins by all kinds of technologies, including PtH. This formulation is implemented in the medium-term integrated energy systems simulator used by Ricerca sul Sistema Energetico – RSE S.p.A to perform scenario analyses. An application to a 2030 scenario is also presented, to assess the effects on the Italian integrated energy system of an increasing participation of PtH technologies to the power system reserve margins provision.