Control of Isolated Wind Power Systems with Hydrogen Production

Abstract

The decreasing cost of renewable energy sources has encouraged their development for isolated power systems capable of supplying electricity to remote communities while reducing dependence on fossil fuels. Among the available alternatives, wind energy combined with battery energy storage and hydrogen production technologies represents a promising solution for improving energy sustainability. However, the intermittent nature of wind power and the limited storage capacity of batteries create challenges in maintaining power balance and efficiently utilising surplus renewable energy. Conventional energy management strategies often lack a coordinated mechanism for distributing excess power according to the battery operating condition. This paper proposes a state-of-charge (SOC)-based power management strategy for an isolated wind power system operating under grid-forming (GFM) control. The proposed controller adjusts the converter voltage reference according to the battery SOC and coordinates the operation of the battery energy storage system (BESS), an electrolyser, and a dump load (DL). In this way, excess wind power is progressively redirected to hydrogen production and, when necessary, to the DL. The proposed strategy improves the utilisation of surplus renewable energy, supports hydrogen production, prevents battery overcharging, and maintains stable voltage and frequency operation under different operating conditions. Simulation results validate the proposed approach.