abstract |
Hydrogen is produced by electrolysis of water using electricity generated from a renewable energy source such as wind and/or solar radiation, compressed in a multistage compression system and consumed in at least one downstream process. Supply of hydrogen to the downstream process(es) fluctuates with demand and/or the availability of the renewable energy source. In order to accommodate such fluctuations, excess hydrogen is stored during periods when production of hydrogen exceeds that required by the downstream process(es) so that, during periods when demand exceeds production, hydrogen is removed from storage and, after suitable pressure reduction, fed to the downstream process(es) via a stage of the multistage compression system. |