Power Parks System Simulation

The objective is to develop a system model to simulate distributed power generation in power parks, where power generation is co-located with businesses or industries. The deliverable of the project will be a tool for simulation of the local power generation system, constructed in the Simulink software. We have developed a library of modules for the various components being proposed for power parks. We assembled the components into a sample power park, in which a reformer operates at a steady rate to produce hydrogen, feeding a fuel cell stack to supply electricity to a transient load. Introduction Power parks are distributed energy sites where power generation is co-located with businesses or industrial energy consumers. Proposed power parks use combinations of technologies. A local power source is often combined with a storage technology to adapt the dynamic of the source to the load. In some cases, the system operates completely separate from the utility grid. Alternatively, the power park may use the utility grid as a storage device, selling power to the utility when there is excess and drawing power when the local source cannot meet the load. Often, power parks are sited in order to take advantage of a renewable energy source. Generation by photovoltaic collectors or wind turbines can be combined with energy storage technologies. Power parks provide an excellent opportunity for using hydrogen technologies. Electricity from the renewable source can be used to generate hydrogen by electrolysis and stored for use in fuel cells or to refuel vehicles. Similarly, heat from a renewable source can be used to reform hydrocarbon-fuels into hydrogen. The variety of technologies and their combinations that are being proposed for power parks suggests that each system will be novel, at least in some aspect of its design. Consequently, a simulation tool will be very useful in evaluating the systems, and optimizing their performance with respect to efficiency and cost. 1 Proceedings of the 2002 U.S. DOE Hydrogen Program Review NREL/CP-610-32405