Optimal design and three-level stochastic energy management for an interconnected microgrid with hydrogen production and storage for fuel cell electric vehicle refueling stations

A new trend in the transportation sector globally can be observed in a shift away from gasoline-powered vehicles to Hydrogen-based fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), aimed at reducing harmful emissions. However, there are challenges in producing hydrogen for vehicle stations related to microgrid design and energy management under uncertain conditions. This research sought to identify the optimum design of an electric microgrid to provide the required energy for electric loads, together with a hydrogen refueling station. The microgrid under study consists of various renewable energy resources (RERs), such as photovoltaic (PV) devices, wind power systems, and hydrogen storage systems. The energy management strategy (EMS) aims to reduce the total costs (investment, operation, replacement, procurement energy costs) considering four uncertain parameters associated with PV panels, FCEVs, wind turbines, and power demand. A three-level EMS is proposed based on testing various solutions: without RERs or a hydrogen energy storage system (Level 1); with RERs and a hydrogen energy storage system (Level 2), with RERs and hydrogen energy storage that includes demand side response (DSR) (Level 3). The results indicate annual cost savings of 1.946 E+06 $ for Level 2 and 2.001 E+06 $ for Level 3, compared to Level 1.