Green energy from hydrogen

Energy from hydrogen is considered an important component of the transition away from fossil fuels and has great potential for application in the renewable energy, industrial, and transport fields. The hydrogen required is generated by a variety of electrolysis processes and is then combined with oxygen in a fuel cell to convert it into usable electrical energy. The power generated in the fuel cell is then transferred to the load via a DC/DC or DC/AC converter. The requirements for energy supply systems vary depending on whether they are electrolysis power supplies or fuel cell power supplies.

In selecting from the various hydrogen energy systems and power supplies available, it is important to keep in mind that, for electrolysis, high-performance power supply units with constant current and programmable current regulation functions are called for. In addition, power supplies for fuel cells also require a wide input voltage range and high rated power, and it should be noted that the voltage of the fuel cell stack also decreases with increasing operating time and age.

MEAN WELL's high-performance power supply units offer several special features for use with the power supply and energy systems of hydrogen technologies:

• A range of voltage models: the different series cover voltages from 24 to 380VDC.

• Optimal electrolysis efficiency: using communications interfaces (CAN bus, PM bus or analogue via an external voltage), the output current and voltage can be adapted continuously to the gas parameters during the electrolysis process.

• High level of flexibility: the 3000 watt AC/DC power supplies in MEAN WELL’s DPU-3200 and PHP-3500 series can be connected to a single electrolyte tank as a module. Depending on system performance and configuration requirements, this allows users to choose between several independent modules or several parallel modules for high-performance electrolysis. The centralised operation of parallel-switched power supplies like the NCP-3200 or SHP-30K – e.g. in a 19” rack – allows for large electrolysis systems to be centrally powered and controlled.

• Converting and conducting energy: as well as their high-performance industrial DC/DC converters, MEAN WELL also offers high-voltage converters with an input range of up to 1500VDC (DDRH series). This allows the energy generated by the fuel cell to be converted into standard industrial voltages of 12 to 48V and supplied to a variety of loads.

• Energy storage: MEAN WELL’s new NTN-5K series, currently in development, is designed for storing the energy from the fuel cell in a DC backup battery storage system for use with other loads. The 2-in-1 design – combining a DC-AC high-power inverter and a charger – converts direct current into alternating current and can support both single-phase and three-phase alternating current, providing up to 220kW of power through series-parallel connection on the DC input side and parallel connection on the AC output side.

As a stand-alone model, these high-performance power supplies offer up to 15kW of power. Integrated into a network, outputs of 300kW and more are possible. As well as their application in hydrogen energy systems, MEAN WELL power supplies also present a solution for many other high-performance applications.

Schukat offers its customers a wide-ranging portfolio of robust stand-alone power supplies that combine outstanding quality and high performance, all direct from stock.

For customer-specific system power supplies, the distributor has a specialised sales team to support its customers with product selection.