Impact of Electrolysers on the Network

The “Impact of Electrolysers on the Distribution Network” project was commissioned to establish if it is possible to manage the production of hydrogen by electrolysis such that the need for network reinforcement is reduced, delayed or removed, and also to investigate the impact on renewable generation output where electrolysers are integrated with renewable
technologies.

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) operated as a partner in the Aberdeen Hydrogen Bus Project which included the design, construction and operation of a Hydrogen Refuelling Station (HRS) located in the Kittybrewster area of Aberdeen.SSEN developed a control system to run trials on the Kittybrewster HRS. Through the trials a series of network scenarios were simulated including demand‐constrained and generation constrained networks. The capacity of the electrolysers to operate flexibly in response to network, generation, and economic signals was also investigated and the outcomes of these trials are contained in this report. Through the development and implementation of these trials it was important to recognise
that as the HRS is a fully operational site, the key and overriding requirement was to ensure that enough hydrogen was available to meet the refuelling needs of the ten hydrogen fuel cell buses that were operating across Aberdeen as part of the Aberdeen Hydrogen Bus Project.