Why hydrogen?
Energy Opticon drives the development of hydrogen use in several projects together with energy companies and industries, from investment calculations to the selection of the optimal production site and to actual production. Our calculations together with actual data from energy companies have shown that there is great economic potential for optimizing hydrogen systems.
Advantages
Optimization of hydrogen systems with electrolysis and/or fuel cells can be beneficial for
energy companies and industries of several reasons. It can open for new possibilities:
- Use hydrogen as an energy storage for increased flexibility in electricity production and relieve the electricity grid at critical times.
- Act on electricity markets and contribute with ancilliary services on the balance market.
- New business models for e.g. Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) and e-fuels.
- Improve the company’s green profile.
Scenario calculations
The hydrogen system with all necessary economic input is modeled in the Topology Editor in Energy Optima 3, after which various long-term simulation calculations are run. The optimizer finds the most profitable models for hydrogen production systems, which can also be combined with other processes, such as Carbon Capture and Utilization.
In this way, Energy Opticon can provide decision support for the following:
- Profitability of hydrogen production for the specific system.
- If it is most profitable with hydrogen production with electrolysis, or with a complete hydrogen system (including fuel cells).
- Where it is most profitable to place the technology.
- How long until return of investment.
Successful user case
Kemira Oy in Finland is a global chemical company that has customers in water-intensive industries. The company’s focus is on pulp and paper, oil, gas and water treatment.
Energy Opticon has delivered an energy management solution to optimize the operation of the electrolysers in combination with electricity trading at Kemira Chemical’s bleaching plants in Äetsä and Joutseno in Finland.
The electrolyzers at Kemira’s facilities correspond to a total of nearly 250 MW in rated power and are used to produce chlorate (with hydrogen as a by-product).
Energy management solution
The delivery included economic and environmental production optimization of Kemira’s production of hydrogen and chlorate in combination with electricity trading. It also included an information management system for the storage and further processing of data as well as for reporting.
What is so special about this delivery is that electrolysis production for three different sites was modeled with forecasts for their chlorate production, together with optimal plans for electricity purchase and sales, for day-ahead, intraday and balancing markets.
Kemira Oy earns large sums from this solution and internal research showed that return of investment for the optimization system was less than a year.
