Impact of Spatial Electrolyzer Allocation in the Central European Energy System

In recent years, the increasing share of generation from renewable energy sources poses challenges of grid congestion and renewable curtailment in the European Energy System. The volatile characteristics of renewables, especially wind and photovoltaics, require additional short- and long-term flexibilities in the system. Here, Power-to-Gas, which transforms electricity into hydrogen via electrolysis, is one option for long-term storage. Subsequently, other derivatives can be generated using different processes. The amount of electrolysis capacity is expected to grow significantly due to increased renewables and rising electricity demand. From a system’s point of view, the location of these electrolyzers is crucial since poorly located facilities might impose further stress on the electricity and gas grids. We present a methodology to model different scenarios of the spatial allocation of electrolysis facilities. Demand-based allocation locates the facilities close to centers of future hydrogen demand, whereas generation-based allocation assigns electrolyzers to locations with high shares of renewables and negative residual load. Using an integrated electricity and gas network model, we compare five scenarios of electrolyzer allocation in the central European energy system in 2030. ... mehrThe results show that the spatial allocation of electrolyzers significantly impacts the optimal operation of these facilities and electricity and gas grid congestion