CopenHydrogen should incorporate different kinds of energy technologies in a future energy system for Copenhagen. But although the energy technologies are available, the investment in equipment is so big that the project is put on hold.
The FCH Test Center of DTU Energy Conversion was part of CopenHydrogen, a Danish project involving a municipality, a utility, companies and university departments and other organizations, all striving to find out how energy storage by means of electrolysis, hydrogen tanks and fuel cells could take part in the future energy systems of Copenhagen and preparing for a large demonstration project.
"As long as there are not sufficient economic incentives for balancing the electricity grid, it will be difficult to make a business out of this combined concept."
Eva Ravn Nielsen, Head of FCH Test Center
The preliminary technical and economic calculations have been completed. The calculations show that although the technologies are available, the investment in equipment so big that the project is put on hold pending a clarification of the pricing of energy storage. It has not been possible to present a reasonable business case for the demonstration project and financing of the large demonstration could not be secured.
“The aim was to provide a basis for decision making before investing in a demonstration plant for hydrogen and fuel cells in Copenhagen”, says head of FCH Test Center, Eva Ravn Nielsen.
“As a combined solution for storage of electricity, the overall efficiency is not high – but at present the investment costs are. And as long as there are not sufficient economic incentives for balancing the electricity grid, it will be difficult to make a business out of this combined concept. But each of the components can contribute to the balancing in combination with other dedicated purposes.”
“All though the conclusion was that the economic basis for this kind of project isn’t available at present, we have learned a lot about the infrastructural needs of the technologies in general and in a Danish perspective, opening up for much more detailed planning of Danish energy systems in the future.”
The final report from the CopenHydrogen project can be found from the link below. The report is in Danish and includes an English summary. http://www.hydrogennet.dk/fileadmin/user_upload/Billeder/Copenhydrogen/resultater/CopenHydrogen_Final.pdf