Optimal production of renewable hydrogen based on an efficient energy management strategy

• Development of an energy management strategy based on a finite-state machine and propositional-based reasoning.
• Deployment of the energy-aware algorithm to an autonomous renewable hydrogen production unit.
• Supervisory control of the electricity flow by a smart microgrid using an industrial automation system.
• Unattended operation and remote monitoring incorporating subsystem interactions in a systematic way.
• Optimal hydrogen production regardless of the weather conditions through water electrolysis with solar power.

This work presents the development of a flexible energy management strategy (EMS) for a renewable hydrogen production unit through water electrolysis with solar power. The electricity flow of the unit is controlled by a smart microgrid and the overall unattended operation is achieved by a supervisory control system. The proposed approach formalizes the knowledge regarding the system operation using a finite-state machine (FSM) which is subsequently combined with a propositional-based logic to describe the transitions among various process states. The operating rules for the integrated system are derived by taking into account both the operating constraints and the interaction effects among the individual subsystems in a systematic way. Optimal control system parameter values are obtained so that a system performance criterion incorporating efficient and economic operation is satisfied. The resulted EMS has been deployed to the industrial automation system that monitors and controls a small-scale experimental solar hydrogen production unit. The overall performance of the proposed EMS in the experimental unit has been evaluated over short-term and long-term operating periods resulting in smooth and efficient hydrogen production.