Electrical integration of renewable energy into stand-alone power supplies incorporating hydrogen storage

A stand-alone renewable-energy system employing a hydrogen-based energy store is now being commissioned within the HaRI project at West Beacon Farm, Leicestershire, UK. The interconnection of the various generators, loads and storage system is made through a central DC busbar: an arrangement that is believed to be unique within systems of this type and scale. The rotating generators, such as the wind turbines, are connected through standard industrial drives operating in regenerative mode, while the DC devices—electrolyser, fuel cell and solar photovoltaic array—employ custom DC–DC converters. This paper reviews the design philosophy of the electrical system and the various converters required. Modelling and simulation of the system is discussed along with practical lessons learnt from its implementation and some initial results are presented.