Balancing wind power with hydrogen for grid stability
Han Mu defended her PhD thesis at the Department of Electrical Engineering on November 6th.
Offshore wind energy is becoming one of the main pillars of Europe’s clean energy transition. However, wind power is not always consistent — when the wind slows down, electricity generation drops, and when it picks up, it may exceed grid limits. Balancing these fluctuations is one of the biggest challenges in building a stable and affordable renewable energy system. In her PhD research, Han Mu explores a promising solution to this challenge: producing hydrogen directly next to offshore wind farms.
By co-locating hydrogen plants with wind farms, electricity from the turbines can be converted into hydrogen immediately, without sending all the power through the national grid. This setup can significantly reduce the need for costly grid reinforcements and improve the efficiency of renewable energy use. However, the interaction between the wind farm and the hydrogen plant creates a complex technical relationship, which addresses in her research. If hydrogen production responds too quickly to changes in wind power, it can make the overall system less stable.
Modeling and measuring system dynamics
Using advanced mathematical modeling and simulations, Mu designed a 4 GW co-located wind-to-hydrogen system and analyzed its dynamic behavior. She also introduced a novel technique to measure the electrical characteristics of high-power converters safely and accurately in the field. By studying both small-signal (minor fluctuations) and large-signal (strong disturbances) responses, the research reveals how different control settings affect the system’s performance and stability.
Designing the future of renewable hydrogen systems
The results of this research provide new insights into how large-scale hydrogen plants can be reliably connected to offshore wind farms. These findings contribute to the design of future renewable hydrogen systems that are technically stable, economically efficient, and ready to support Europe’s transition toward a fully sustainable energy future.
Title of PhD thesis: . Supervisors: Prof. Guus Pemen, Dr. Dongsheng Yang and Yin Sun.