Hydrogen Solutions
Hydrogen Solutions
The increasing share of fluctuating renewable energy and the drive to de-carbonize our economy leads to a rapid and sustainable growth of the hydrogen economy as basis for converting energy use away from fossil fuels and provide long term storage for renewable power plants. The production of green hydrogen using water electrolysis with SMA’s leading power conversion systems will be key to meet the ambitious targets of many countries and support the race towards a net-zero emissions target.
Modern Converter Design
Based on the existing battery inverter portfolio, SMA developed an Electrolyzer Converter, that perfectly supports electrolyzer applications. The converter has a DC power range from 1 to 5 MW per unit. Bigger systems can be realized by parallel operation of the converters allowing a truly modular approach for maximum reliability. The design is based on a modular containerized solution, the so called MVPS (Medium Voltage Power Station). The MVPS is a fully integrated package, which is easy to transport and allows for high power densities. Moreover, it secures maximum flexibility at minimum costs and offers you a fully type-tested Power Conversion System with an excellent track record in many versatile applications.
Intelligent Grid- and Electrolyzer Management
SMA’s Electrolyser Converters are based on SMA’s well proven IGBT technology providing a wide range of advantages for the conversion of AC power into DC power. No additional harmonic filters or compensation units are necessary due to the very low harmonic distortion associated with SMA’s superior technology (THDi < 4%). The SMA converters are tested and certified according to state-of-the-art testing guidelines in order to fulfill all relevant national and international norms. The power factor can be adjusted across a wide range and the converter includes the latest grid codes of many countries.
The converter has a wide DC operation window for the electrolyzer operation. This enables us to work with most PEM and Alkaline Electrolyzers. Aging processes of the electrolyzer’s cells (degradation) are managed within our fully integrated system (e.g. increase of DC voltage over time) which allows a trouble-free operation with low maintenance over the whole lifetime of the electrolyzer.
High flexibility and integration or renewable energy
Due to SMA’s experience in grid integration of renewable energy systems and the deep knowledge of large Battery Energy Storage Sytems in complex energy systems, several synergies on the power supply side can be created. Combinations of directly coupling PV to hydrogen production (with or without batteries) or realizing off-grid solutions with black-start functionality are already widely used in our standard PV hybrid projects. With a strong competence in innovative energy systems and extensive know-how in all aspects of project execution as well as O&M services, SMA Altenso GmbH can support you along the whole value chain of your hydrogen project.
Extended Services: Spare Part Management and System Servicability guaranteed
With the Electrolyzer Converter being derived from the widely deployed solar- and battery inverter family (Sunny Central and Sunny Central Storage), a well-proven and mature technology with thousands of units in operation all over the globe is used in order to guarantee safe and reliable operation of your hydrogen facility. Using standardized components facilitates an easy, low cost and high availability spare part management and allows optimized system operation especially when using various plant types within a fleet. With SMA’s global presence and expertise, operation and maintenance can be supported at short notice with highly qualified personnel in most countries worldwide.
