The H-SAPS project was an exciting 2 year project funded by the European Commission's Altener Programme to analyse the market potential for the introduction of hydrogen energy technology in stand alone power systems (SAPS).
A large number of SAPS are installed around Europe, providing power to technical installations and communities in areas, which are not connected to the regional or national power grid, an increasing number of which incorporate renewable energy technologies, most often in combination with diesel generators and/or batteries for backup power. However, the majority of larger SAPS are still based on fossil fuel power generation.
Econnect brought to the project its in-depth understanding of stand-alone power systems gained through its own innovative load control management technology, which had been used successfully in hybrid wind/diesel/hydro systems in the Scottish islands of Rum and Foula and PV system on the Greek island of Kythnos.
Hydrogen can be produced from renewable energy, such as solar energy, wind power or biomass at the site and used for power production in fuel cells in periods with limited renewable energy availability. Using hydrogen as energy storage could increase the renewable energy utilisation up to 100%. |
