Capacity optimization allocation method for off-grid RES-H2 microgrid system considering the load-follow-source mechanism.

• The output power volatility of wind-photovoltaic and the operating characteristics of the electrolyzer is considered. • A capacity optimization method for off-grid RES-H2 production systems considering the load-follow-source mechanism is proposed. • A multi-objective optimization model with minimum cost, minimum energy storage capacity and optimal power supply efficiency was constructed. • An improved optimization algorithm based on two common algorithms is designed. Based on the uncertainty of the output of renewable energy such as wind and photovoltaic (PV), a capacity optimization allocation method considering the load-follow-source mechanism is proposed to solve the shortages of traditional methods, which is low in utilization rate of energy and low in economy. Firstly, considering the fluctuations of renewable energy sources (RES) and the operating characteristics of the electrolyzer, this paper proposes a capacity optimization method for off-grid hydrogen(H2) production system of renewable energy sources considering the load-follow-source operation mechanism. Then, combined with this mechanism, a capacity optimization allocation model is established, the objectives contain minimizing the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH), minimizing the capacity of energy storage, and optimizing the efficiency of power supply. Finally, an adaptive non-dominated sorting differential evolution algorithm (ANSDE) with external archiving is proposed to solve the established model. The calculation results show that the load-follow-source mechanism is effective for improving the economy of the system, and the proposed algorithm is high in efficiency and good in convergence comparing with traditional algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]