Fuel cell electric vehicle to grid & H2: Balancing national electricity, heating & transport systems a scenario analysis for Germany in the year 2050

In a 2050 fully renewable national electricity, heating and road transport system primary energy supply comes from non-dispatchable power generation such as solar and wind energy. Both negative and positive dispatchable balancing power plants need to balance the system. This work investigates whether parked and grid connected (Vehicle-to-Grid) Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) fueled with pure hydrogen can replace positive dispatchable balancing power plants. These power plants, often gas turbine based, are likely to operate at low capacity factors in future. A simulation for a 2050 scenario is based on German 2015 renewable electricity data and assumes a passenger car mix of 40% FCEVs and 60% Battery Electric Vehicles. On average 0.9 million FCEVs with Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) output of 10 kWe would be required during evening and night time and approximately 6 million during the annual peak shortage hour to balance the system at all times. These numbers represent respectively 2% and 14% of the total 2015 German passenger car stock and have the potential to replace all positive dispatchable power plants in future.