Colloquia

Samenvatting

This thesis addresses the urgent need for emission-free construction sites in the Netherlands, driven by a tight housing market and stringent NOx emissions restrictions. It explores the potential of a semi off-grid Fuel Cell Power Bank (FCPB) combination as a viable solution. The design and management of a hydrogen-supported and congested DC-microgrid (DCMG) that connects the FCPB elements is associated with multiple challenges. This thesis investigates safe DCMG design, fuel cell (degradation) characteristics and Energy Management Systems (EMS), consequently developing an integrated EMS solution for the rapid implementation of emission-free construction sites.

The research proposes a Mixed Logical Dynamical (MLD) framework within a hierarchical Optimal Power Flow (OPF) scheduling algorithm. This approach ensures health-aware fuel cell operation and load fulfillment without compromising computational efficiency. A year-long simulation of the semi off-grid construction site underscores the robustness of the proposed model, achieving a 13 % improvement in system economy over the benchmark. Additionally, the proposed algorithm demonstrates a 96 % reduction in computational effort compared to conventional Model Predictive Control (MPC) and extends the fuel cell lifetime by 32 % through the incorporation of degradation characteristics. Furthermore, the analysis emphasises the importance of adequate load forecasting in future research.