IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v18y2025i15p3910-d1707459.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Experimental Validation of a Modular Skid for Hydrogen Production in a Hybrid Microgrid

Author

Listed:
  • Gustavo Teodoro Bustamante

    (R&D Department, Gnarus Institute, Itajuba 37500-052, MG, Brazil)

  • Jamil Haddad

    (Office of Research and Graduate Studies (PRPPG), Federal University of Itajuba, Itajuba 37500-903, MG, Brazil)

  • Bruno Pinto Braga Guimaraes

    (R&D Department, Gnarus Institute, Itajuba 37500-052, MG, Brazil)

  • Ronny Francis Ribeiro Junior

    (R&D Department, Gnarus Institute, Itajuba 37500-052, MG, Brazil)

  • Frederico de Oliveira Assuncao

    (PS Soluções, Itajubá 37502-485, MG, Brazil)

  • Erik Leandro Bonaldi

    (PS Soluções, Itajubá 37502-485, MG, Brazil)

  • Luiz Eduardo Borges-da-Silva

    (PS Soluções, Itajubá 37502-485, MG, Brazil)

  • Fabio Monteiro Steiner

    (EDF Norte Fluminense, Macae 27910-970, RJ, Brazil)

  • Jaime Jose de Oliveira Junior

    (EDF Norte Fluminense, Macae 27910-970, RJ, Brazil)

  • Claudio Inacio de Almeida Costa

    (R&D Department, Gnarus Institute, Itajuba 37500-052, MG, Brazil)

Abstract

This article presents the development, integration, and experimental validation of a modular microgrid for sustainable hydrogen production, addressing global electricity demand and environmental challenges. The system was designed for initial validation in a thermoelectric power plant environment, with scalability to other applications. Centered on a six-compartment skid, it integrates photovoltaic generation, battery storage, and a liquefied petroleum gas generator to emulate typical cogeneration conditions, together with a high-purity proton exchange membrane electrolyzer. A supervisory control module ensures real-time monitoring and energy flow management, following international safety standards. The study also explores the incorporation of blockchain technology to certify the renewable origin of hydrogen, enhancing traceability and transparency in the green hydrogen market. The experimental results confirm the system’s technical feasibility, demonstrating stable hydrogen production, efficient energy management, and islanded-mode operation with preserved grid stability. These findings highlight the strategic role of hydrogen as an energy vector in the transition to a cleaner energy matrix and support the proposed architecture as a replicable model for industrial facilities seeking to combine hydrogen production with advanced microgrid technologies. Future work will address large-scale validation and performance optimization, including advanced energy management algorithms to ensure economic viability and sustainability in diverse industrial contexts.

Suggested Citation

  • Gustavo Teodoro Bustamante & Jamil Haddad & Bruno Pinto Braga Guimaraes & Ronny Francis Ribeiro Junior & Frederico de Oliveira Assuncao & Erik Leandro Bonaldi & Luiz Eduardo Borges-da-Silva & Fabio Mo, 2025. "Experimental Validation of a Modular Skid for Hydrogen Production in a Hybrid Microgrid," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(15), pages 1-21, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:18:y:2025:i:15:p:3910-:d:1707459
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/15/3910/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/15/3910/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Marcel Clemens & Torsten Clemens, 2022. "Scenarios to Decarbonize Austria’s Energy Consumption and the Role of Underground Hydrogen Storage," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-23, May.
    2. Parra, David & Valverde, Luis & Pino, F. Javier & Patel, Martin K., 2019. "A review on the role, cost and value of hydrogen energy systems for deep decarbonisation," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 279-294.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Li, Yanfei & Taghizadeh-Hesary, Farhad, 2022. "The economic feasibility of green hydrogen and fuel cell electric vehicles for road transport in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    2. Stančin, H. & Mikulčić, H. & Wang, X. & Duić, N., 2020. "A review on alternative fuels in future energy system," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    3. Engstam, Linus & Janke, Leandro & Sundberg, Cecilia & Nordberg, Åke, 2025. "Optimising power-to-gas integration with wastewater treatment and biogas: A techno-economic assessment of CO2 and by-product utilisation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 377(PB).
    4. Ahmad Alzahrani & Senthil Kumar Ramu & Gunapriya Devarajan & Indragandhi Vairavasundaram & Subramaniyaswamy Vairavasundaram, 2022. "A Review on Hydrogen-Based Hybrid Microgrid System: Topologies for Hydrogen Energy Storage, Integration, and Energy Management with Solar and Wind Energy," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1-32, October.
    5. Tubagus Aryandi Gunawan & Alessandro Singlitico & Paul Blount & James Burchill & James G. Carton & Rory F. D. Monaghan, 2020. "At What Cost Can Renewable Hydrogen Offset Fossil Fuel Use in Ireland’s Gas Network?," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-23, April.
    6. Victor Hugo Souza de Abreu & Victória Gonçalves Ferreira Pereira & Laís Ferreira Crispino Proença & Fabio Souza Toniolo & Andrea Souza Santos, 2023. "A Systematic Study on Techno-Economic Evaluation of Hydrogen Production," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-23, September.
    7. Zhang, Huaiwen & Yao, Yiqing & Deng, Jun & Zhang, Jian-Li & Qiu, Yaojing & Li, Guofu & Liu, Jian, 2022. "Hydrogen production via anaerobic digestion of coal modified by white-rot fungi and its application benefits analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    8. Torsten Clemens & Martin Hunyadi-Gall & Andreas Lunzer & Vladislav Arekhov & Martin Datler & Albert Gauer, 2024. "Wind–Photovoltaic–Electrolyzer-Underground Hydrogen Storage System for Cost-Effective Seasonal Energy Storage," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(22), pages 1-26, November.
    9. Teixeira, Fátima C. & Teixeira, António P.S. & Rangel, C.M., 2022. "New proton conductive membranes of indazole- and condensed pyrazolebisphosphonic acid-Nafion membranes for PEMFC," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 196(C), pages 1187-1196.
    10. Wang, Xiongzheng & Meng, Xin & Nie, Gongzhe & Li, Binghui & Yang, Haoran & He, Mingzhi, 2024. "Optimization of hydrogen production in multi-Electrolyzer systems: A novel control strategy for enhanced renewable energy utilization and Electrolyzer lifespan," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 376(PB).
    11. Shao, Tianming & Pan, Xunzhang & Li, Xiang & Zhou, Sheng & Zhang, Shu & Chen, Wenying, 2022. "China's industrial decarbonization in the context of carbon neutrality: A sub-sectoral analysis based on integrated modelling," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    12. Yinhui Wang & Yugang He & Xiaodan Gao, 2025. "Synergizing Renewable Energy and Circular Economy Strategies: Pioneering Pathways to Environmental Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(5), pages 1-22, February.
    13. Zhang, Tong & Qadrdan, Meysam & Wu, Jianzhong & Couraud, Benoit & Stringer, Martin & Walker, Sara & Hawkes, Adam & Allahham, Adib & Flynn, David & Pudjianto, Danny & Dodds, Paul & Strbac, Goran, 2025. "A systematic review of modelling methods for studying the integration of hydrogen into energy systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 208(C).
    14. dos Reis, Rui A. & Rangel, Gustavo P. & Neto, Belmira, 2024. "Social life cycle assessment of green hydrogen production: Evaluating a projected Portuguese industrial production plant," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 235(C).
    15. Song, Hongqing & Lao, Junming & Zhang, Liyuan & Xie, Chiyu & Wang, Yuhe, 2023. "Underground hydrogen storage in reservoirs: pore-scale mechanisms and optimization of storage capacity and efficiency," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 337(C).
    16. Tomasz Jałowiec & Dariusz Grala & Piotr Maśloch & Henryk Wojtaszek & Grzegorz Maśloch & Agnieszka Wójcik-Czerniawska, 2022. "Analysis of the Implementation of Functional Hydrogen Assumptions in Poland and Germany," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(22), pages 1-25, November.
    17. Gu, Fu & Wang, Jiqiang & Guo, Jianfeng & Fan, Ying, 2020. "How the supply and demand of steam coal affect the investment in clean energy industry? Evidence from China," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    18. Razzaqul Ahshan, 2021. "Potential and Economic Analysis of Solar-to-Hydrogen Production in the Sultanate of Oman," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-22, August.
    19. Tanveer, Waqas Hassan & Abdelkareem, Mohammad Ali & Kolosz, Ben W. & Rezk, Hegazy & Andresen, John & Cha, Suk Won & Sayed, Enas Taha, 2021. "The role of vacuum based technologies in solid oxide fuel cell development to utilize industrial waste carbon for power production," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    20. Schlund, David & Theile, Philipp, 2022. "Simultaneity of green energy and hydrogen production: Analysing the dispatch of a grid-connected electrolyser," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:18:y:2025:i:15:p:3910-:d:1707459. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.