Case Study: NREL advances fuel cell and electrolyzer optimization with ETAP digital twin modeling

NREL avoids 94.95% undervoltage with ETAP digital twin modeling

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) faced challenges in modeling fuel cells and electrolyzers for microgrid optimization, as manufacturers only supplied polarization curves instead of electrical models. These components exhibit highly nonlinear and hysteretic behavior, which is affected by temperature and pressure, making traditional modeling assumptions ineffective. NREL collaborated with vendor ETAP to address these issues using the ETAP Digital Twin and Power Simulator platform.

ETAP implemented a data-driven, AI-based solution that uses proprietary algorithms to extract internal parameters from manufacturer I-V curves, creating accurate electrical models. This allowed NREL to perform critical system-level studies, including hosting capacity analysis which demonstrated that adding a third electrolyzer caused an undervoltage of 94.95% and transformer overload. The ETAP solution enabled optimized microgrid design that respected technical constraints and net-zero emission goals.

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (nrel)