Underway: Ballard and HDF Energy multi-megawatt systems
A new generation of multi-megawatt power system is currently under development, through a partnership between Ballard Power Systems and HDF Energy.
The Renewstable® power plant is a multi-megawatt baseload power system enabling large-scale storage of intermittent renewable wind or solar energy in the form of hydrogen—through the process of electrolysis—as well as electricity generation using that hydrogen feedstock together with Ballard’s fuel cell system.
For producers of renewable power, the primary challenge is meeting user demand—which requires consistent, predictable patterns—with power from intermittent and, some would say, unpredictable sources. Wind power depends on weather patterns. Solar power is impacted by cloud cover and seasonal shifts in daylight.
As producers well know, renewable power generation will range from surplus to insufficient, sometimes in the same day. Reliable, stable and long-term energy storage is the solution: store the surplus energy at times of peak production, and distribute it at times of peak demand.
Rechargeable batteries are insufficient for long-term power
Lithium-ion batteries, the storage technology in most current zero-emission systems, are charged by surplus power in times of peak production, and discharged when production is low or consumption is high.
For grid-level power, lithium-ion batteries present a long list of shortcomings:
Short-term storage: Most battery-based solutions store energy from one to four hours. Longer-lasting solutions (12+ hours) are not cost-effective.
Limited battery life: Batteries last for a finite number of recharge cycles, and their life is shorter in cold weather use.
Overheating risk: The risks are seen when operating temperatures are high, and when batteries are charged in freezing temperatures.
Environmental concerns of lithium: Production of lithium batteries is energy intense with a high carbon footprint, and the disposal of such batteries is an environmental concern. Lithium at a large scale is associated with resource depletion, global warming, ecological toxicity, and human health impacts.
