A Hydrogen-based Storage System to Peak Shaving Domestic Prosumers Energy Demand: A Case Study in Italy

To support the electricity grid's capacity in meeting the rising domestic energy demand, the growing presence of building-integrated photovoltaics, and enhancing grid flexibility, harnessing hydrogen generated from surplus photovoltaic power at individual homes presents a promising solution. To smooth the households' demand curve and optimize the power balance, this study employs a simulation-driven methodology to assess the viability of combining hydrogen-based storage systems with building-integrated photovoltaics. Firstly, surplus periods of photovoltaic output of a building in Brescia, Italy, are identified to simulate the hydrogen yield from an electrolyzer-fuel cell system: the electrolyzer utilizes excess generation from installed photovoltaics and distributed network (DN) surplus, while the fuel cell converts hydrogen to electricity during hours when the load is higher than a limit value. The limit value for DN-supplied energy is obtained by optimizing the scenario so that the total energy provided by the DN without using hydrogen is the same as when hydrogen is used. This simulation is conducted for annual and seasonal (summer) scenarios, considering electricity consumption from traditional electrical appliances, heat pumps, summer cooling, and electric water boilers. Finally, the technical challenges encountered in obtaining a smoother load demand and possible solutions are discussed, while the economic analysis will be addressed in future works.