The Utsira wind-hydrogen system -
operational experience
T. Nakken, L.R. Strand, E. Frantzen, R. Rohden, P.O. Eide*
* Norsk Hydro ASA, N-0246 OSLO, Norway
Tel: +47 22538059, Fax: +47 22537260, E-mail: Pal.Otto.Eide*hydro.com
Summary
During 2003 and 2004, the Norwegian energy company Norsk Hydro together with the German wind turbine manufacturer Enercon, built a wind/hydrogen plant in the municipality of Utsira, Norway. The plant produce hydrogen through an electrolyser when there is excess wind energy available, and then provide electricity to domestic customers via a fuel cell and a hydrogen combustion engine when the wind turbine slows or stops. Utsira is the world’s first large-scale test of a Stand-Alone renewable energy system where the energy balance is provided by stored hydrogen.
Utsira has been in operation since winter 2004/2005, and the paper presents results and experience from this first year in operation. After approximately one year of operation an average availability of approximately 90% have been achieved. The high availability have been achieved without having designed the system with redundancy in key components e.g. two hydrogen generators or two wind turbines. The design and operation of the system have given invaluable insight for further development of wind-hydrogen systems. A extension of the Utsira project have been decided to test a new type of electrolyser based on PEM technology with a higher operational flexibility as well as greatly reduced footprint.

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