Control Strategy for Renewable Energy Hydrogen Production Systems Considering Hydrogen Production Efficiency Improvement
The intermittent nature of renewable energy sources imposes severe operational constraints on electrolytic hydrogen production systems, particularly regarding stack degradation and efficiency losses under fluctuating power inputs. This study establishes a comprehensive efficiency model for multi-stack PEM electrolysis systems that integrates the physical characteristics of the electrolyzer, power supply conversion losses, and gas compression energy penalties. A three-stage optimal operational strategy is developed for hydrogen production units, coupled with an improved rotational control strategy based on state of health (SOH) metrics. A bi-level optimization framework is constructed for a wind-solar-storage hydrogen production system, targeting maximum renewable energy penetration while coordinating electrolytic hydrogen production with chemical energy storage to absorb power fluctuations. The proposed multi-stack operational strategy dynamically allocates power among units according to real-time SOH values, prioritizing high-health units during power transients. Comparative analysis against chain allocation and power equalization strategies demonstrates that the proposed approach reduces unit power switching frequency during 22:00–24:00 by a significant margin, extends overall system service life, and maintains units at optimal power points with the highest hydrogen production efficiency across all operational periods. Validation using actual data from the Jibei Power Grid confirms the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed control architecture for industrial-scale renewable hydrogen production systems.