Hydrogen is increasingly recognized for its role in enhancing the electrification of the built environment, particularly as a seasonal storage medium to balance the intermittent nature of renewable generation. Despite its potential, the high investment costs of hydrogen technologies make their integration challenging in current energy systems. This study addresses the gap in research concerning the impacts of hydrogen integration within energy communities, focusing on system performance and grid operations through different grid connection scenarios. We explore three grid connection capacities - unlimited, 24 kW, and 16 kW - using a case study from The Green Village. Our findings indicate that an unlimited grid connection poses a risk of grid congestion, whereas a restricted connection could result in unmet load demands. Our results suggest that aligning the grid connection capacity with the peak demand of the energy community effectively balances the need to reduce grid congestion while meeting energy requirements. This research highlights the need for strategic planning in the integration of hydrogen technologies within energy communities, advocating for a balance that supports both energy independence and grid stability.

Aggregate peak Electric Vehicle (EV) charging demand is a matter of growing concern for network operators as it severely limits the network's capacity, preventing its reliable operation. Various tariff schemes have been proposed to limit peak demand by incentivizing flexible asset users to shift their demand from peak periods. However, fewer studies quantify the effect of these tariff schemes on the aggregate level. In this paper, we compare the effect of a multi-level segmented network tariff with and without dynamic energy prices for individual EV users on the aggregate peak demand. Results based on real charging transactions from over 1200 public charging points in the Netherlands show that the segmented network tariff with flat energy prices results in more diverse load profiles with increasing aggregation, as compared to cost-optimized dispatch based on only dynamic day-ahead energy prices. When paired with dynamic energy prices, the segmented tariff still outperforms only dynamic energy price-based tariffs in reducing peaks. Results show that a balance between power thresholds and price per threshold is crucial in designing a suitable tariff, taking into account the needs of the power network. We also provide valuable insights to network operators by calculating the diversity factor for various peak demands per charging point.

Hydrogen is becoming increasingly popular as a clean, secure, and affordable energy source for the future. This study develops an approach for designing a PV–battery–electrolyzer–fuel cell energy system that utilizes hydrogen as a long-term storage medium and battery as a short-term storage medium. The system is designed to supply load demand primarily through direct electricity generation in the summer, and indirect electricity generation through hydrogen in the winter. The sizing of system components is based on the direct electricity and indirect hydrogen demand, with a key input parameter being the load sizing factor, which determines the extent to which hydrogen is used to meet seasonal imbalance. Technical and financial indicators are used to assess the performance of the designed system. Simulation results indicate that the energy system can effectively balance the seasonal variation of renewable generation and load demand with the use of hydrogen. Additionally, guidelines for achieving self-sufficiency and system sustainability for providing enough power in the following years are provided to determine the appropriate component size. The sensitivity analysis indicates that the energy system can achieve self-sufficiency and system sustainability with a proper load sizing factor from a technical perspective. From an economic perspective, the levelized cost of energy is relatively high because of the high costs of hydrogen-related components at this moment. However, it has great economic potential for future self-sufficient energy systems with the maturity of hydrogen technologies.