Optimising hydrogen production and storage with AI software

The project has received £494k funding from the Department of Business Energy and Industrial Strategy’s Energy Entrepreneur Fund.

HyAI is an AI-powered hydrogen management platform developed by H2GO Power, innovators of hydrogen-based solutions for renewable energy storage. The cloud-based software uses machine learning and optimisation algorithms to make intelligent, data-driven decisions to ensure system safety and reliability and identify the most cost-effective times for hydrogen generation and storage.

The 12-month project will trial the software in two phases. The first phase involves running proof-of-value simulations with the AI software using data from commercial use cases provided by project partners EMEC and National Grid Gas Transmission.

The second phase will see the platform integrated into EMEC’s hydrogen production plant on Eday and tested as a fully integrated pilot. The HyAI system aims to control hydrogen production in real time by combining historical and forecasted data on weather, renewable generation sources including wind and tidal, as well as hydrogen storage capacity and electricity prices. Multiple tests will be conducted to validate the efficacy of the HyAI software system, starting with system trials using advisory control ramping up to trials with semiautonomous control.

EMEC Hydrogen Production Plant on Eday (Credit: Colin Keldie)

Enas Abo-Hamed, Co-Founder and CEO at H2GO Power said: “We are very excited to demonstrate how our collaboration with EMEC and National Grid Gas Transmission is going from strength to strength. HyAI, alongside our smart hardware storage system, addresses the unique operational challenges that come with system design, production, storage, distribution and conversion of hydrogen as a commodity.

“This project is the start of many others in the pipeline. The commitment within this partnership, team competence and cutting-edge technology we’re trialling provide all the ingredients to give confidence in successful outcomes of the project and a promising scalable commercial offering.”

Rob Flynn, Commercial Manager at EMEC said: “Building on last year’s successful HyAI pilot project, which demonstrated the value of the model in a simulation with real-word data, we’re delighted to strengthen our partnership with H2GO Power and support their HyAI platform’s route to commercialisation through the use of our test facilities.

“HyAI will use EMEC’s hydrogen production plant as a real-world use case whilst optimising our operations using artificial intelligence. This is very exciting technology, from a very exciting company.”

Corinna Jones, Head of Hydrogen Innovation at National Grid Gas Transmission, said: “The HyAI system has enabled National Grid Gas Transmission to develop business cases for storage requirements needed in hydrogen network transitional projects. The use of mixed storage mechanisms and being able to balance these based on weather and other factors, will enable an accelerated transition to net zero.

“Data analytics will play a vital part in the transition of the UK’s energy network. There is ever increasing complexity associated with managing the network as a whole system, and a greater reliance on renewable energy sources.”