Modeling and economic evaluation of Power2Gas technology using energy hub concept

A major challenge in power system operation is the integration of renewable energy in-feed in large scale. Due to the fluctuating nature and seasonal dependency of these energy carriers, excess energy might be curtailed and shortfalls are covered by conventional generation units, since it is possible that sufficient storage capacities are not always available. In this paper we focus on the Power-to-Gas technology as an additional source for enhancing power system operability. Power-to-Gas converts electrical energy into hydrogen or methane, which can be stored or transported via the existing natural gas infrastructure. A major concern is whether this technology is economically valid. In order to address this issue, we propose a model based on the energy hub concept and apply it to historic data. In a simulation study we show, that currently a power-to-gas plant is not economically viable.