Fully Funded Innogy MSc by Research Scholarship: Feasibility of hydrogen generation from onshore wind in Wales: a case study of opportunity linked to the development of Alwen Forest wind farm.
This scholarship is funded by Innogy.
Start date: October 2019
Subject areas: Engineering, Business Studies or Economics
We are excited to offer a fully funded industry sponsored Master's by research scholarship in Energy Innovation, which will provide an opportunity to work with Innogy Renewables UK Ltd, the largest energy operator in Wales to undertake research about the emerging hydrogen industry linked to a renewable energy project.
Background
Onshore wind is now one of the most cost efficient forms of renewable energy and likely to be the key player in the move towards 100% renewable energy generation. Key challenges with onshore wind, and indeed many other forms of renewables, is balancing supply and demand locally and making cost-effective connections to the aging and constrained distribution grid infrastructure.
Simultaneously there is a growing hydrogen economy in Wales where hydrogen can be used as the energy carrier, delivering stored energy for domestic, commercial, industrial and locomotive applications.
Project proposal
The proposal encompasses a theoretical study on utility scale onshore wind to hydrogen production to address several aspects of hydrogen generation e.g. modelling hydrogen generation’s viability in Wales, current and future local market demand and assessing project economics.
The project will build an economic and technical feasibility study into the use of a wind farm to produce hydrogen and then specifically apply that model to the new development of Alwen Forest wind farm (in north Wales).
Key questions of interest:
- Is there is a potential to generate hydrogen from onshore wind or solar PV generation (either stand alone or connected to the distribution grid or with a direct wire connection to a local user?)
- Is there an opportunity to use hydrogen from renewables to power a combined heat and power plant to supply the wind farm possibly coupled with battery storage (and avoid imported electricity at retail prices)?
- Is there a preferred location for hydrogen production in Wales?
- Is there potential to link to potential local Dwr Cymru Welsh Water (DCWW) water treatment and pumping station for use of hydrogen or oxygen?
- What is the requirement for on-site storage and what are the issues surrounding accommodating this in the landscape?
- What are the risks in a forest and aquatic context?
- What would be an optimum economic project and what would it cost to build?
- Is hydrogen generation most economic at the point of use or at the source of renewable generation. What are the key considerations?
- Compare and contrast the costs and benefits of distribution grid connections vs hydrogen grid connections.
- Consider the quality of hydrogen generated, in particular the costs to generate vs quality and uses?
- How does all of the above relate to the development of a wind farm at Alwen Forest?
Supervision
The project will be supervised by Dr Charles Dunnill in the Energy Safety Research Institute, College of Engineering on Bay Campus and co-supervised by Jeremy Smith and Rebecca Pike from Innogy Renewables UK Ltd. In addition, Innogy may be willing to provide work experience or consider a one-year graduate placement post-completion.