The HYBRIT storage system for hydrogen has now been tested under commercial conditions on the electricity market for the first time - with promising results for the transformation of the industry. Fossil-free hydrogen is one of the prerequisites for the production of fossil-free steel. The variable costs of hydrogen production could be reduced significantly, by 25 to 40 percent, through storage. HYBRIT is an initiative launched jointly by SSAB, LKAB and Vattenfall in 2016.
The hydrogen storage system was directly integrated into the electricity market for around a month. The goal was to produce hydrogen from fossil-free electricity with a variable electricity price at the lowest possible cost, e.g. B. at certain times of the day or during longer periods of high electricity consumption due to weather conditions. SSAB was constantly and reliably supplied with hydrogen.
“Although Vattenfall's optimization of trading and operations based on real electricity prices came at a time of low price fluctuations, the results were very convincing. The testing was carried out in close coordination between Hybrit Development and Vattenfall. During this practical test, we were able to track in real time how much money was saved by using the storage system,” explains Marie Anheden, senior project manager at HYBRIT.
Previous projects
All research projects at the hydrogen storage facility, which is located not far from the HYBRIT pilot plant for fossil-free iron in Luleå, have so far shown promising results. The design itself has proven itself for quick emptying and filling as well as for times of less activity. The recent campaign to reduce the price of hydrogen production used a simulation tool, a new optimization model and the 100 cubic meter pilot hydrogen storage facility in Luleå.
“These results are as exciting as they are important, because hydrogen from fossil-free electricity is at the center of the transformation of the industry. Large-scale hydrogen storage makes it possible to flexibly structure consumption in an electricity system with fluctuating supply and variable prices while at the same time supplying industry with hydrogen more reliably and cost-effectively. Used on a large scale, hydrogen storage can have a dampening effect on electricity price fluctuations. “That in turn would encourage investments in new electricity generation from all fossil-free energy sources,” says Mikael Nordlander, who heads the industrial partnerships department at Vattenfall.
