Grid Balancing with Green Hydrogen

Evaluate how electrolysers and H₂ storage can absorb curtailment and return power or fuel when needed.

Setup
Core Technical Inputs
Economic Inputs
Choose whether CAPEX should be fully attributed to this project or treated as shared existing infrastructure.
Value captured per kWh of surplus electricity absorbed instead of curtailed.
Cost of acquiring/using surplus electricity for hydrogen production.
Installed capital cost per kW of electrolyser power.
Installed capital cost per kg of hydrogen storage capacity.
Fraction of electrolyser CAPEX attributed to this use case (0 = shared/sunk, 1 = fully dedicated).
Fraction of storage CAPEX attributed to this use case.
Sets: Existing shared electrolyser, Electrolyser CAPEX allocation = 0.00, Storage CAPEX allocation = 1.00.
Annual fixed operation and maintenance percentage applied to attributed CAPEX.
Used to annualize CAPEX through capital recovery factor (CRF).
Economic lifetime used for annualized cost calculations.
How many times the single-event profile is repeated in a year. Use scenarios (conservative/base/upside) when uncertain.
Applied when hydrogen is reconverted from renewable surplus electricity that otherwise would be curtailed and displaces grid electricity.
Apply only if the system participates in demand response or a qualifying capacity market program. Otherwise set to 0.
Revenue per kg of hydrogen sold when not reconverting to electricity.
Note:

The calculations provided by HyCalc are intended for preliminary estimates and scenario exploration. While we strive for accuracy, we recommend consulting qualified engineers for final system design, safety decisions, and regulatory compliance in your specific application.

How to Use This Calculator

Quick Workflow

  • Choose Single Event for one curtailment event, or Time-Series for a dispatch profile.
  • Enter electrolyser, storage, and reconversion efficiencies.
  • Add operational constraints: minimum load and ramp rate if needed.
  • Set economic assumptions to estimate value and round-trip cost.
  • Run and review KPIs, required sizing, and charts.

CSV Format (Time-Series)

Provide at least one column named surplus_kw. Optionally add reconv_demand_kw.

timestamp,surplus_kw,reconv_demand_kw
2026-01-01 00:00,1200,400
2026-01-01 01:00,900,400

Assumptions and Notes

  • Hydrogen energy basis uses LHV (default 33.33 kWh/kg).
  • Storage usable fraction applies as a lumped storage loss term.
  • Storage losses are not modeled as time-dependent decay in the current version; this is suitable for screening-level studies.
  • For long-duration storage analysis, a time-based loss model (e.g., % per day) is recommended.
  • Single-event economics annualize with cycles/year; time-series economics are for the uploaded horizon.
  • Ramp model limits power step changes based on your Δt and ramp rate.
  • This is a screening/pre-feasibility tool, not a full unit-commitment optimizer.

You Might Also Like

Electrolyser Calculator

Calculate hydrogen production and electrical demand.

Access Calculator

Storage Capacity Calculator

Estimate hydrogen stored by pressure and tank volume.

Access Calculator

LCOH Calculator

Assess levelized hydrogen production economics.

Access Calculator