Hydrogen Power to Power Projects

With our hybrid plant operating with 100% green energy, Vestesen Hybrid Energy will create Hydrogen Power to Power projects. 

With reference to our article in the Danish State’s Denmark’s Green Investment Fund on Tuesday, 8 November 2022, ”Dansk virksomhed bygger hybridanlæg til energiforsyning udelukkende på grøn energi” (“A Danish company is building hybrid plants to provide energy from green energy alone”). 

The winds have been blowing favourably in November, and Vestesen’s hybrid plant with a Vestas pre-owned wind turbine solution in Denmark has operated continuously with 100% green energy from wind and solar power for 19 days in November, the monthly overall average was 82% green energy share. We have a very high power quality with a high frequency quality of 50Hz (+/-0.25Hz) and high voltage quality in continuous operation as well as in the transitions from one operating mode to another.

Even though a Vestesen hybrid plant allows for the installation of large wind and solar capacity in an electricity grid, there will be periods when there is little or no wind or sun. The Vestesen hybrid solution already has a battery for the balancing function and short-term storage. A Vestesen hybrid plant will, however, be able to be combined with hydrogen technology with a number of advantages.

When Vestesen is able to establish an electricity grid for the installation of high capacity wind and solar power with a large share of green energy, only a small amount of hydrogen will be needed to achieve round-the-clock operation at close to 100% green energy. With a Vestesen hybrid plant and an optimal configuration of installed wind and solar power, a long-term share of green energy of around 80% can be achieved. Vestesen has seen up to almost 90%, where there are particularly advantageous wind and solar resources. This means that only 10–20% of the annual consumption will have to be covered by hydrogen. This will be during peak periods of electricity consumption and electricity consumption where there is no wind/solar power that is covered by operating with hydrogen. This means that we will use hydrogen to cover what is typically costly electricity consumption.

The problem with hydrogen is that it still uses a lot of energy for the electrolysis process, storage, etc., so the less hydrogen it requires to achieve an electricity supply of close to 100% green energy, the better. Thus, Vestesen’s special hybrid plant for operating with 100% is a prerequisite for a good Power to Power project with hydrogen.

Vestesen technology can integrate hydrogen electrolysis systems while simultaneously reducing other equipment for regulation. When our battery for the balancing function is fully charged and there is still more wind and sun, we make hydrogen which is stored at the power plant. When wind and sun decrease and the battery falls below a minimum, we start up the generator set technology with hydrogen.  There are currently engine manufacturers who have generator set technology that can operate with hydrogen.

Vestesen hybrid technology has an optimal integration of hydrogen-based generator set capacity, where engine capacity is affected by operating with hydrogen.  Fuel cell technology could also be used in the Vestesen hybrid plant, but there are a number of advantages to using known generator set technology depending on the individual project.

For large plants, surplus hydrogen can also be used for Power to X to further optimise the business. 

Vestesen’s hybrid technology is covered by a group of patents covering our technical domain, including hybrid plants for the establishment, stabilisation and balancing of an electricity grid with the integration of hydrogen technology for Power to Power and Power to X projects. The technologies for establishing a Power to Power project exist and are undergoing major development, and Vestesen has the technical industry partners to design, build and operate such an energy plant.

One can imagine many types of projects with the Vestesen hybrid plant with hydrogen. One could create solutions for the national electricity grid for stabilisation and peak power electricity production. But there are also potential solutions for parts of the electricity grid. One could imagine a project where a big consumer is on the national electricity grid via a limited grid connection, and a Power to Power project could be established behind this grid connection. The electricity consumption behind the grid connection would thus be covered by almost 100% green energy. In addition to lowering the price of electricity with a high proportion of green energy, it would also be possible to draw electricity consumption away from the already strained national electricity grid.  At the same time, the project’s large wind and any solar installation would not put a strain on the national electricity grid.

The first project could be in Denmark. Together with Vestas, Vestesen has helped to prepare such a potential project at the Danish State’s construction site for the Fehmarn Belt tunnel to Germany. With this article, Vestesen would like to encourage Danish politicians to prioritise this type of project. The project will consist of a Vestas pre-owned wind farm and a Vestesen hybrid plant with hydrogen technology for balancing and Power to Power operation. The Fehmarn Belt tunnel project has been prepared with relevant industry partners and will be able to be carried out at short notice and in a short time.

It could be one of the most important projects to build right now. Vestesen believes that it would be a shame if such a leading project were to be built abroad instead.

Everyone can see its value for the climate and the current energy crisis as well as the potential for Denmark and Danish industrial entreprises that cooperate with Vestesen.

About Vestesen Hybrid Energy  
Vestesen Hybrid Energy develops, designs and manufactures hybrid plants for the global market. The company holds patents for its various hybrid technologies and has registered a number of new patent applications since the start of 2021.

These technologies are used to allow electrical power grids to operate with 100% green energy, maximising the use of energy generated by wind and solar power to provide electricity and heating.