Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems with Hydrogen and Battery Storage Options for Stand-Alone Residential Building Application in Canada

As the world moves definitively towards cleaner energy and deploys resources to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, greater interest in the potential for implementing hybrid renewable energy systems (HRES) has been ignited. This study aims to investigate the technical and economic feasibility of using an HRES with hydrogen and battery storage alternatives to provide electricity for remote household use. Dynamic simulation models were developed in HOMER Pro 3.15 software to simulate and optimize the performance of the proposed microgrid (MG) systems. Two different system configurations were simulated, which consisted of various components and systems, including solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, diesel generators, hydrogen production and storage systems, and battery storage. These MG configurations were simulated and optimized for a stand-alone household in Canada. The simulation results proved that both PV-hydrogen-diesel and PV-battery-diesel systems are viable solutions for MG applications. Moreover, the results indicated that the configuration with hydrogen storage was less economical than that which utilised conventional, mature battery storage. Diesel generators played a vital role in providing backup energy to the system s, which enhanced their reliability, an important factor particularly during the harsh Canadian winter months when the electrical load was highest. It should be mentioned that it is expected that when development in hydrogen technology is further advanced and deployed in the near future, the hydrogen-based MG system cost will likely drop significantly.