Influence of hydrogen on grid investments for smart microgrids

Electrification of the heat network in buildings together with a rise in popularity of Electric Vehicles (EVs) will result in a need to make investments in the electrical energy infrastructure in order to prevent congestion. This paper discusses the influence of hydrogen in future smart microgrids on these investments. Moreover, smart control strategies, i.e., EV management and demand response programs are used in this paper to lower the peak of electrical energy demand resulting in the reduction of these investments. Performances of microgrid with different levels of hydrogen penetration are discussed. It is shown that an increase in the level of hydrogen in the microgrid will reduce the electric grid investments costs but is not economically more beneficial than using ‘green’ gas due to the higher total economic costs.