ABB energy management system drives green hydrogen efficiency

Automation company ABB has released an energy management system, which uses real-time visibility of energy consumption across operations to increase efficiency and reduce operational costs when it comes to green hydrogen production.

ABB Ability OPTIMAX has been introduced into the green hydrogen market and is hoped to slash production costs for the hydrogen plant lifecycle, from simulation at design and engineering phases to real-time visualisation and monitoring when in operation.

The software measures bi-directional power flows and carbon dioxide emissions, providing contextual data which operators can use to determine optimal energy consumption levels required to support plant processes and minimise waste.  

According to ABB, the platform provides a level of transparency that can also be applied to increase the efficiency and safety of each electrolyser module being operated within the plant, regulating each module’s speed and ensuring it is only used as and when required.

Incorporating intra-day planning, operators can also utilise OPTIMAX to plan ahead to trade competitively with the grid, developing a circular energy system that is based on forecasts of renewable energy availability against demand, also considering market electricity prices. 

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Optimising expenditure

Green hydrogen made via electrolysis – a process of using electricity from renewable sources to split water into hydrogen and oxygen – is widely considered an important energy vector for achieving a low carbon future.

It does, however, pose significant challenges in the way of high production costs and energy intensive processes.  

According to the Green Hydrogen Catapult, a global initiative made up of leading energy companies, to scale up production capacity to the 50 times needed, the cost to produce green hydrogen needs to drop by 50 percent to less than $2/kg by 2026. 

“Scaling up green hydrogen production requires significant capital investment as well as high operating costs,” said Sleman Saliba, global product manager energy management for ABB Process Automation. “Nearly 70% of the total operating costs to run a hydrogen plant comes from the electricity needed to split the water molecule in the electrolysis process.

“With OPTIMAX, for between 1-3% technology investment, operators can run their industrial processes in the most energy efficient way and gain up to 20% reduction in electricity-based costs.”