ABB launches an Energy Management system for green hydrogen to reduce production costs by up to 20 percent.
ABB introduces its ABB Ability™ OPTIMAX® energy management system to the green hydrogen market as a support to reduce production costs by enabling real-time optimization of energy consumption throughout the plant.
Green hydrogen produced by electrolysis – a process that uses electricity from renewable sources to split water into hydrogen and oxygen – is widely regarded as an important energy vector for achieving a low-carbon future. However, it poses major challenges when it comes to high production costs and energy-intensive processes.
According to Green Hydrogen Catapult, a global initiative made up of leading energy companies, the cost of producing green hydrogen must drop by 50 percent to below USD 2/kg by 2026 in order for production capacity to scale up to the required 50 times.
ABB’s OPTIMAX® supports this in all aspects of a hydrogen plant’s life cycle, from simulation at the design and construction phases to real-time visualization and monitoring during operation. The software measures bidirectional energy flows and carbon emissions and provides contextual data that operators can use to determine optimal energy consumption levels to support plant processes and minimize waste.
The transparency of the solution can also be used to increase the efficiency and safety of each electrolysis module running on the plant, regulate the speed of each individual module, and ensure that it is only used when it is needed.
Sleman Saliba, Global Product Manager Energy Management for ABB Process Automation, said:
Scaling up green hydrogen production requires significant capital investment as well as high operating costs.
“Nearly 70 percent of the total operating costs of running a hydrogen plant come from the electricity required to split the water molecules in the electrolysis process. With OPTIMAX®, which represents a technology investment of 1-3 percent, operators can run their industrial processes in the most energy-efficient way and achieve up to 20 percent reduction in electricity costs”.
Byintroducing daytime planning, operators can also use OPTIMAX® to plan ahead so that they can shop competitively on the grid and develop a circular energy system based on forecasts of available renewable energy against demand while weighing prices in the electricity market.
The solution can also be used to optimize green hydrogen integration with existing hydrogen networks as well as any future infrastructure that may be developed.
ABB’s Process Automation business areais a leader in automation, electrification and digitalization for the process and hybrid industries. We serve our customers with a broad portfolio of products, systems and end-to-end solutions, including our distributed control system, software and lifecycle services, industry-specific products, as well as offerings in measurement and analytics and the marine sector.
Building on our deep domain expertise, diverse team and global footprint, we are dedicated to helping our clients increase competitiveness, improve their return on investment, and run safe, smart, and sustainable businesses. go.abb/process automation
ABBis a leading technology company in electrification and automation, enabling a more sustainable and resource-efficient future.
The company’s solutions combine technical know-how and software to optimize how things are manufactured, transported, operated and handled. Based on over 130 years of expertise, ABB’s ~105,000 employees are strongly committed to developing innovations that accelerate the industrial transition. www.abb.com
To note: This is a Swedish translation of ABB’s English press release dated November 23, 2022, which can be read in full on abb.com/news. If questions of interpretation arise, the English press release applies.
Highlights:
- ABB Ability™ OPTIMAX® helps hydrogen production companies reduce electricity costs by up to 20 percent
- The software increases the efficiency of energy-intensive electrolysers used to produce green hydrogen
- By factoring in forecasting and planning throughout the day, the solution ensures that companies can shop competitively online
ABB launches an Energy Management system for green hydrogen to reduce production costs by up to 20 percent, November 23, 2022
