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This paper adopts optimal model which used GAMS to develop methods and tools for conducting an integrated assessment of DER system. Three cases were studied. Energy-saving, environmental and economic efficiency were evaluated. The results of the simulation can be summarized as follows: 1) For the current system, optimal operating time is about 4,132 hours per year, and from 8 am to 22 pm everyday. 2) It is economical when electricity price increases or gas price decreases. 3) According to the load function of system, energy-saving, environmental and economic efficiency will have amaximum value at optimal operating time. 4) Compared with exhaust heat efficiency, power generation efficiency has more influence to the economic efficiency and CO2 reduction when the total efficiency is fixed.

DER-CAM Developed by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), is an optimization tool for DER technology selection. However it can not be simply applied to the Japanese case because of the different climate and the utility tariff. This reserch aims to develope an optimazation tool for distributed energy for Japanese buildings using GAMS, a high-level modeling system for mathematical programming and optimization. This paper describes how we apply and demonstrate the tool to the energy center at Kitakyushu Research city, where has installed a fuelcell and a gas engine. An anylisis has also been conducted to see how the utility tarriff and the equipment efficiency can affect the operation of the DER system.

Electrolytic hydrogen storage technology of renewable energy is considered as one of the important measures to realize the high proportion of renewable energy. However, developing this technology has been slow due to the cost. This study proposes highlighting the environmental advantages of renewable power combined with a carbon tax at the national level to expand the application space of hydrogen storage technology. First, the economy and technical characteristics of hydrogen storage technology and conventional energy-storage technology were compared. Then, Japan's top 10 power companies, which account for 90% of the power supply, were taken as the research objects. The proportion of change in renewable power after introducing a carbon tax was studied, taking the weighted minimum of the feed-in tariffs as the optimization objective. The contribution of hydrogen storage technology to the change in renewable power share was analyzed. Next, a sensitivity analysis was conducted on the fossil energy price and cost of renewable power equipment that affects the research. Finally, the contribution of a carbon tax and hydrogen storage technology to Japan's emission reduction target was calculated and analyzed. The results showed that the characteristics of long-distance transportation of hydrogen energy and making renewable energy have economic advantages under the current carbon tax (5–6 JPY/kg-CO2). The cost of liquified natural gas (LNG) and the investment of photovoltaic (PV) have a significant impact on the weighted minimum feed-in price, which can make the development of hydrogen storage technology no longer rely on the setting of carbon tax. The results obtained in this study provide a theoretical reference for the application of hydrogen storage technology in the high proportion of renewable energy consumption. At the same time, it can also provide data reference for large-scale construction of renewable energy in regions where solar and wind energy resources are not excellent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen energy is considered one of the main measures of zero carbonization in energy systems, but high equipment and hydrogen costs hinder the development of hydrogen energy technology. The objectives of this study are to quantify the environmental advantages of hydrogen energy through a carbon tax and study the application potential of hydrogen energy technology in a regional distributed energy system (RDES). In this study, various building types in the smart community covered by Japan's first hydrogen energy pipeline are used as an example. First, ten buildings of five types are selected as the research objectives. Subsequently, two comparative system models of a regional distributed hydrogen energy system (RDHES) and an RDES were established. Then, by studying the optimal RDHES and RDES configuration and combining the prediction of future downward trends of fuel cell (FC) costs and energy carbon emissions, the application effect of FC and hydrogen storage (HS) technologies on the demand side was analyzed. Finally, the adaptability of the demand-side hydrogen energy system was studied by analyzing the load characteristics of different types of buildings. The results show that, when the FC price is reduced to 1.5 times that of the internal combustion engine (ICE), the existing carbon tax system can sufficiently support the RDHES in gaining economic advantages in some regions. Notably, when the carbon emissions of the urban energy system are reduced, the RDHES demonstrates stronger anti-risk ability and has greater suitability for promotion in museums and shopping malls. The conclusions obtained in this study provide quantitative support for hydrogen energy promotion policies on the regional demand side and serve as a theoretical reference for the design and adaptability research of RDHESs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]