Study of mixed wind-nuclear-hydrogen power plants

A novel methodology for economic evaluation of hydrogen storage for a mixed wind-nuclear power plant considering some novel aspects such as residual heat and oxygen utilization is presented in this paper. The simulation of the operation of the combined nuclear-wind-hydrogen system is discussed first, where the selling and buying of electricity, the selling of excess oxygen, and the selling of heat from the stationary fuel cells is optimized to maximize profits, in the context of existent markets for all these services and products. The simulation is done in two phases: In the pre-dispatch phase, the system model is optimized to obtain optimal hydrogen charge levels for the given operational horizons. In the second phase, a real-time dispatch is carried out on an hourly basis to optimize the operation of the system as to maximize profits, following the storage levels of the pre-dispatch phase. Based on the operation planning and dispatch results, an economic evaluation is performed to determine the feasibility of the proposed scheme for investment purposes; this evaluation is based on calculations of modified internal rates of return and net present values for a realistic scenario. The results of these studies demonstrate that the use of hydrogen for the sole purpose of storage of electricity, in spite of oxygen and heat utilization and considering current hydrogen production and utilization technologies, is not economically feasible at this time.