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Three recent papers show the breadth of work underway across the hub, from the digital systems that will hold an integrated energy system together to the economics of hydrogen storage and the design of low-carbon buildings.
Hydrogen won’t slot into the energy system on its own. Making it work alongside electricity, gas and heat raises questions that cut across engineering, economics, digital infrastructure and people. Three recent publications from HI-ACT researchers show how the hub is tackling those questions from very different angles.
The digital backbone of an integrated energy system
As energy networks become more closely linked, they depend more on sensors, data and software, the ‘cyber’ layer that sits on top of the physical infrastructure. That brings real benefits, but it also creates new challenges, including cyber security, data governance, real-time coordination and getting different technologies to work together.
Cyber-physical multi-energy systems: Towards an integrated energy system – A review, published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, surveys academic research and industrial initiatives in this area from 2019 to 2024. The authors highlight the growing use of AI for forecasting, optimisation and detecting cyber threats, and the use of digital twins to monitor renewable assets and predict when maintenance is needed.
The review argues that energy systems are social as well as technical. It examines how research has begun to factor in end-user preferences and societal impacts, and it proposes a new cyber-physical-social energy systems (CPSES) architecture.
Making the investment case for hydrogen storage
Surplus renewable electricity can be turned into hydrogen, stored, and converted back to power when it’s needed. This approach, known as vector coupling storage, links the electricity and gas systems. But would anyone invest in it in a competitive market?
In a paper for the International Journal of Electrical Power & Energy Systems, Joseph, Allahham and Walker use game theory to explore that question. Their model represents gas, electricity and independent storage operators as strategic players competing in a liberalised market. It pairs an annual investment model with an hourly simulation of how the system operates. The team applied it to the North of Tyne region, using a scaled-down version of the Future Energy Scenarios dataset that follows a regional pathway to net zero by 2050.
Renewables, hydrogen and gas working together
The third paper looks at integration on a smaller scale: a single building’s energy system. Dr Yiji Lu of the University of, working with partners in China, modelled a system combining several technologies:
- – solar panels and solar thermal collectors
- – wind turbines
- – fuel cells
- – a gas-fired combined cooling, heating and power (CCHP) unit
- – absorption chillers and air source heat pumps
The system draws on both the gas and electricity grids.
Published in Applied Thermal Engineering, the study simulated how the system would respond to changing weather and demand, considering four measures: energy efficiency, primary energy savings, sustainability and lifecycle cost. The study shows that combining complementary technologies can make supply more reliable while cutting reliance on fossil fuels.