JP2024030225A - energy supply system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an energy supply system supplying power generated at a power generation base point to a consumer efficiently.

SOLUTION: An energy supply system has a plurality of power generation base points (3), a plurality of hydrogen supply base points (4) supplying hydrogen to consumers, and circulation means (6) connecting the base points. In the power generation base point (3), a power generating unit (8), a hydrogen generation device (10), and an ammonia generation device (11) are provided, and hydrogen is generated by generated power and ammonia is generated from the hydrogen. On the other hand, in the hydrogen supply base point (4), an ammonia-hydrogen manufacturing device (20) manufacturing hydrogen from ammonia is provided. The circulation means (6) transports ammonia generated in the power generation base point (3) to the hydrogen supply base point (4).

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

COPYRIGHT: (C)2024,JPO&INPIT

Description

Application for application of Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act Subsidy application: Subsidy name: Fukushima Prefecture FY2020 "Regional Reconstruction Practical Development Promotion Project Expenses Subsidy" Application date: April 1, 2020

The present invention relates to an energy supply system, which is a system consisting of a plurality of power generation bases and a plurality of energy consumption bases, and supplies energy obtained from the power generation bases to the energy consumption bases.

Electricity obtained from wind power, solar power, geothermal power, etc. is renewable energy and has become one of the important solutions for the Sustainable Development Goals. However, many of these renewable energies have a problem in terms of stable supply of electric power, as the amount of power generated fluctuates depending on conditions such as weather. Furthermore, power generation bases are scattered throughout the country, and it is costly to develop power transmission equipment to transmit electricity to energy consuming areas. In particular, so-called offshore power generation equipment that generates wind power on the ocean has a problem in that the cost of installing power transmission equipment increases as the distance from land increases.

By the way, methods for producing hydrogen using electric power obtained from wind power generation, solar power generation, etc. have been proposed in various documents, such as Patent Document 1, for example. Hydrogen can be stored, making it possible to provide a stable supply of energy without being affected by fluctuations in power generation. In particular, hydrogen obtained from renewable energy is called green hydrogen, and because it does not emit carbon dioxide when producing hydrogen, it is expected to be an effective means of transitioning to a decarbonization era. Hydrogen can be used as fuel in fuel cells, electric vehicles, and power generation. Then, for example, if hydrogen is produced using electricity near a power generation base such as wind power, solar power, or geothermal power, and this hydrogen is transported to multiple consumption bases, a stable supply of energy will be possible. Therefore, it is likely that the cost required for the maintenance of power transmission equipment will be reduced.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-136801

By the way, hydrogen is a highly versatile clean energy that can replace fossil fuels, and its energy content per weight is far greater than fossil fuels. However, there is a problem in that the volume density is low and handling is difficult. Hydrogen is often stored as a compressed or liquefied gas, but a large amount of energy is consumed during compression and liquefaction. As a result, the net energy obtained from hydrogen will become smaller. Additionally, transporting compressed and liquefied gas requires specialized lorries, which increases costs. This means that simply producing hydrogen near multiple power generation facilities such as wind power generation facilities and solar power generation facilities and transporting it to supply it to consumers is not enough for efficient energy use. it dose not connect.

The present invention connects multiple power generation bases that generate electricity through multiple wind power generation, solar power generation, geothermal power generation, etc. and multiple hydrogen supply bases that supply hydrogen to consumers, thereby efficiently demanding hydrogen as clean energy. The purpose of this project is to provide an energy supply system that supplies energy to people. Specifically, the objective is to provide an energy supply system that can reduce the cost of maintaining power transmission equipment, use energy efficiently, and reduce transportation costs.

The present invention is configured as an energy supply system including a plurality of power generation bases, a plurality of hydrogen supply bases that supply hydrogen to consumers, and a distribution means that connects the power generation bases and the hydrogen supply bases. The power generation base is equipped with a power generation facility, a hydrogen generation device, and an ammonia generation device, and hydrogen is generated in the hydrogen generation device using the electric power generated by the power generation facility, and ammonia is generated from the hydrogen in the ammonia generation device. Meanwhile, hydrogen production equipment will be installed at the hydrogen supply base to produce hydrogen from ammonia. The distribution means is configured to transport ammonia generated at the power generation base to the hydrogen supply base.

According to the present invention, the energy supply system includes a plurality of power generation bases, a plurality of hydrogen supply bases that supply hydrogen to consumers, and a distribution means that connects the power generation bases and the hydrogen supply bases. In other words, it is an energy supply system that supplies hydrogen as clean energy to consumers. Then, at the power generation base, hydrogen is generated using the generated electricity, ammonia is generated from the hydrogen, this ammonia is transported to multiple hydrogen supply bases by distribution means, and hydrogen is produced from this ammonia at the hydrogen supply base. ing. Then there is no need to convert hydrogen into compressed or liquefied gas for transport. Compared to hydrogen, ammonia can be liquefied relatively easily and can be transported at low cost. That is, the energy supply system according to the present invention can efficiently utilize energy. Furthermore, it also has the effect of eliminating the need for power transmission equipment. This is particularly advantageous for power generation bases such as offshore wind power generation facilities where the maintenance of power transmission equipment is costly.

Demonstration projects for green hydrogen production using renewable energy have begun around the world, led by the Fukushima Hydrogen Energy Research Field (FH2R) in Namie Town, Fukushima Prefecture. As described later, in one embodiment of the present invention, an ammonia generation device is installed in an onshore wind power generation facility to generate ammonia. This is transported to a hydrogen supply base, ie, a hydrogen station, by a distribution means, and hydrogen is produced from ammonia by a hydrogen production device. Such a hydrogen supply model according to the present invention causes an energy loss of about 30% when compared to a hydrogen supply model using FH2R. This is because FH2R directly generates hydrogen and transports it to the hydrogen supply base using high-pressure vehicles, so there is no need to generate ammonia as an intermediate product. However, when hydrogen is transported by a high-pressure vehicle, even if the hydrogen is transported at a high pressure of, for example, 20 MPa, it is not suitable for mass transportation. Seven times as many vehicles would be required compared to transporting ammonia, which is easily liquefied. In the transportation industry, restrictions on working hours have become an issue due to the so-called 2024 problem. In this case, ammonia, which can be transported using a relatively small number of high-pressure vehicles, can reduce transportation costs and is advantageous for the spread of hydrogen supply bases, that is, hydrogen stations.

On the other hand, in a model of an offshore wind power generation facility that is one embodiment of the present invention, generated ammonia is transported by a recovery ship. Transportation by recovery vessel requires only a small amount of energy cost during transportation. This is because a relatively large amount of ammonia can be transported efficiently. Then, when considered as a hydrogen carrier, the hydrogen supply model according to the present invention, which generates and transports ammonia, has high safety and transport efficiency, and has great merits from an overall judgment.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an energy supply system according to the present embodiment.

<Energy supply system according to this embodiment>
This embodiment will be described below.
As shown in FIG. 1, the energy supply system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of power generation bases 3a, 3b,..., a plurality of hydrogen supply bases 4a, 4b,..., a relay base 5, It is provided with distribution means 6a, 6b, . . . that connect the plurality of power generation bases 3a, 3b, . . . and the plurality of hydrogen supply bases 4a, 4b, .

The power generation bases 3a, 3b, . . . generate power using various methods such as wind power generation, solar power generation, geothermal power generation, etc., and can be located on land or offshore. For example, the power generation base 3a is constructed on land and includes power generation facilities 8a1 and 8a2 made of wind power generation. Although the power generation base 3b is also constructed on land, it is equipped with power generation equipment 8b consisting of solar power generation. On the other hand, the power generation base 3c is located offshore and includes power generation equipment 8c made of wind power. These power generation facilities 8a1, 8a2, 8b, . . . generate electric power.

These power generation bases 3a, 3b, ... have not only power generation facilities 8a1, 8b, 8c, ..., but also hydrogen generators 10a, 10b, ..., ammonia generators 11a, 11b, ..., and purified water tanks 13a, 13b. ,... and ammonia tanks 14a, 14b,... are provided. The hydrogen generators 10a, 10b, ... generate hydrogen by electrolyzing purified water from the purified water tanks 13a, 13b, ... using the electric power generated by the power generation facilities 8a1, 8a2, 8b, ... It has become. The generated hydrogen is sent to the ammonia generators 11a, 11b, . . .

The ammonia generators 11a, 11b, . . . are devices that generate ammonia from hydrogen and nitrogen generated by the hydrogen generators 10a, 10b, . Nitrogen is obtained from air, and can be obtained by separation using a hollow fiber separation membrane or by cryogenic separation. There are various methods for producing ammonia from hydrogen and nitrogen, such as the Haber-Bosch method, and any method may be employed in carrying out the present invention. However, in this embodiment, ammonia is generated by the method described in International Publication WO2012/077658. That is, using a C12A7 electride catalyst, hydrogen and nitrogen are reacted at a relatively low temperature and low pressure to produce ammonia. The generated ammonia is liquefied and stored in ammonia tanks 14a, 14b, . . . .

The relay station 5 is provided with an ammonia storage facility 16 that stores ammonia and a purified water storage facility 18 that stores purified water. Ammonia is transported from the ammonia tanks 14a, 14b, ... of the plurality of power generation bases 3a, 3b, ... by distribution means 6a, 6b, ... such as lorries and ships, and stored in the ammonia storage facility 16. There is. In addition, the purified water stored in the purified water storage facility 18 is transported to the purified water tanks 13a, 13b, etc. of the plurality of power generation bases 3a, 3b,... by the distribution means 6a, 6b,... ing.

The hydrogen supply bases 4a, 4b,... are bases that supply hydrogen to consumers. The hydrogen supply bases 4a, 4b, . . . are provided with hydrogen production devices 20a, 20b, . The hydrogen production devices 20a, 20b, . . . are devices that generate hydrogen from ammonia. Ammonia to be supplied to the hydrogen production devices 20a, 20b, . . . is transported from the ammonia storage facility 16 of the relay station 5 by distribution means 6a, 6b, . There are various methods for producing hydrogen from ammonia, and any method and any apparatus may be used to carry out the present invention. In this embodiment, the hydrogen production devices 20a, 20b,... are manufactured by Syzygy Plasmonics Inc. The company employs hydrogen production equipment 20a, 20b,... The company's products utilize a photocatalyst developed at Rice University, such as the one described in US Pat. No. 1,076,024, to decompose ammonia and obtain hydrogen. Hydrogen produced by the hydrogen production devices 20a, 20b, . . . is supplied to consumers.

<Modified example>
The energy supply system 1 according to this embodiment can be modified in various ways. For example, in the embodiment described above, the relay base 5 is provided. However, the relay station 5 is not essential. That is, ammonia generated at the power generation bases 3a, 3b, . . . may be directly transported to the hydrogen supply bases 4a, 4b, . Furthermore, although the relay station 5 has been described as being located at one location, it may be provided at multiple locations. The method of supplying purified water can also be modified. In this embodiment, purified water has been described as being supplied to the hydrogen generators 10a, 10b from the purified water tanks 13a, 13b, . However, purified water may be purified from locally available water such as groundwater or seawater.

1 Energy supply system 3 Power generation base 4 Hydrogen supply base 5 Relay station 6 Distribution means 8 Power generation equipment 10 Hydrogen generation device 11 Ammonia generation device 13 Purified water tank 14 Ammonia tank 16 Ammonia storage facility 18 Purified water storage facility 20 Hydrogen production device

Claims (4)

comprising a plurality of power generation bases, a plurality of hydrogen supply bases that supply hydrogen to consumers, and a distribution means that connects the power generation bases and the hydrogen supply base,
The power generation base is provided with a power generation facility, a hydrogen generation device, and an ammonia generation device, and the hydrogen generation device generates hydrogen using the electric power generated by the power generation facility, and the ammonia generation device generates ammonia from the hydrogen. It looks like this,
The hydrogen supply base is equipped with a hydrogen production device that produces hydrogen from ammonia,
The distribution means is an energy supply system configured to transport the ammonia generated at the power generation base to the hydrogen supply base. The energy supply system according to claim 1, wherein any one of the plurality of power generation bases is offshore, and the power generation equipment is an offshore wind power generation equipment. The energy supply system includes a purified water storage facility that stores purified water, and the purified water required when the hydrogen generator generates hydrogen is transported from the purified water storage facility by the distribution means. The energy supply system according to claim 1 or 2. The energy supply system includes an ammonia storage facility for storing ammonia, and the distribution means transports ammonia from the power generation base to the ammonia storage facility, and from the ammonia storage facility to the hydrogen supply base. The energy supply system according to claim 1 or 2.

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