Abstract:

National power, heating, cooling, and transportation systems must all achieve zero emissions in the future. To ensure the reliability of energy supply in 100 percent renewable energy systems, a large number of backup power plants as well as large-scale energy storage capacity are needed. Electricity can be partially converted into hydrogen, which can then be transported through pipelines, stored in large amounts in underground salt caverns to avoid seasonal effects, and used as electricity storage or a renewable transportation fuel. The question addressed in this paper is how parked and grid-connected hydrogen-fueled Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles might balance 100 per cent renewable electricity, heating, cooling and transport systems at the national level in Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, France and Spain? Five national electricity, heating, cooling and transport systems are modeled for the year 2050 for the five countries, assuming only 50 percent of the passenger cars to be grid-connected Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles, the remaining Battery Electric Vehicles. The grid-connected Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle fleet can always balance the energy systems and their usage is low, having load factors of 2.1–5.5 percent, corresponding to an average use of 190–480 h per car, per year. 26 to 43 percent of grid-connected Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles are required during peak periods, which occur just a few hours per year, and in particular for energy systems with high solar energy shares, such as Spain, grid-connected Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle balancing is primarily required at night, which correlates to driving consumption.