On 3 November 2020, a panel composed by the representatives of four different partners presented FLEXnCONFU at ETN Global’s webinar on Flexible Power Generation.
The one-hour long webinar offered the chance to showcase the project and its goals,as well as to discuss with our experts the technologies and the innovative solutions we are developing. The main topics covered during the webinar have been power-to-hydrogen solutions, power-to-ammonia solutions and the installation of those technologies in a real-life CCGT like EDP’s Ribatejo plant in Portugal.
The full video-recording of the webinar is available on the FLEXnCONFU’s youtube channel! Click here to access to it directly!
A FLEXnCONFU’s overview with Dr. Alessandra Cuneo
The first natural guest of the webinar has been Dr. Alessandra Cuneo, Project Technical Coordination, RINA Consulting and FLEXnCONFU’s Project Coordinator.
During her presentation, Dr. Cuneo highlighted the main drivers behind the project: the key role natural gas plays in the EU energy system; the importance of hydrogen in the energy transition; the possibilities opened by ammonia as energy carrier; and the need for flexibility driven by higher penetration of renewable energy sources. She then explained the structure of the project, illustrated the four different demonstration’s levels featured in the project performed at Cardiff University, the University of Genova, at the Ribatejo power plant, and the virtual demonstrations for replicability, and finally described the project’s expected impact:
- Contribute to a smart, secure and more resilient power system through the integration of
energy storage for the purpose of load levelling in fossil fuel power generation; - Smoother operation of these plants at optimal efficiency and environmental performance;
- Better adapt to an energy system that will increasingly be dominated by intermittent renewable
energy.
The slides presented by Dr. Alessandra Cuneo are available here.
“Deployment of power-to-hydrogen solutions in a combined cycle power plant” with Paula Ramos
Ms. Paula Ramos, Senior Expert & Strategist on Management Systems Integration, EDP Gestão da Produção de Energia, took then over, focussing mainly the installation of the P2H solutions at EDP’s power plant in Ribatejo, FLEXnCONFU’s demoplant.
Ms Ramos not only described the technology to be installed in the demo plant (1 MW fast-cycling electrolyzer; gas compressor; and pressurized hydrogen storage), but also the main requirements needed when planning the deployment of power-to-hydrogen solutions in CCGT plant, such as site constraints related to available space, technical aspects, regulatory issues (e.g. the licensing process), and safety.
The slides presented by Ms. Paula Ramos are available here.
“Power to hydrogen to power solutions” with Denis Thomas
Mr. Denis Thomas, Global Business Development Leader Water Electrolysis,Cummins, presented Cummins’ PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) water electrolyzer in FLEXnCONFU.
As highlighted by Mr. Thomas, electrolyzers are already a marketable technology, and they offer flexibility across a broad range of applications, from Power-to-Gas, to Power-to-Power, from Power-to-Mobility, to Power-to-Industry. It is however through projects like FLEXnCONFU, where the electrolyzers are monitored in real-life conditions, that further optimization can be pursued.
The slides presented by Mr. Denis Thomas are available here.
“Power to Ammonia to power solutions” with Pascal Koschwitz
Last but not least, Mr. Pascal Koschwitz, Research Assistant the the Teschnische Universität Darmstadt, presented the case for the use of ammonia as energy carrier. Starting from the assumption that with an increasing penetration of renewable energy sources, long-term energy storage solutions are vital, ammonia becomes a key asset for the European energy transition.
Not only infrastructure, regulations, and experience in handling ammonia are already in place, but it also has an high energy density, it is a cheap option for long-term storage and doesn’t emit CO2.
The slides presented by Mr. Pascal Koschwitz are available here.