Power grids in most developed countries continue to operate according to a centralized model of generation, whereby electricity is generated on a large scale at fossil fuel-fired and nuclear power plants and distributed to multiple end users through a network of high-voltage transmission lines1.
This model is favoured partly due to economics of scale and to cope with rapid industrialization and need for efficient energy supply2. It provides constant and reliable power that is matched to demand profiles that are well established and understood. This is important because to maintain a stable electricity grid, production and demand must be balanced to avoid frequency fluctuations.
The shift to decentralized energy systems
However, the landscape is changing. Global efforts to decarbonize energy systems and address the impacts of climate change are resulting in increasing integration of renewables such as wind, solar PV and green hydrogen. Also, as more power supplies that are erratic in demand, such as electric vehicles, are connected to the grid, so too does electricity demand become more distributed and unstable3.
This is placing more emphasis on decentralized energy systems to manage changing variables such as sector coupled systems – where different energy sectors like industry and electricity are connected in a way that allows them to exchange energy with each other4 – and buffering (storage) for flexibility5.
In this new decentralized energy landscape, the more traditional engineering approach of creating large control systems which lack standardization in the layer between module vendors, system integrators and plant owners may no longer be the most efficient approach. Instead a function-oriented approach might be more efficient on process modules or equipment adjacent to elements of flexibility and buffering. From an OEM perspective, this would have to be addressed already at the design phase.
A modular approach to automation
Instead, modular automation systems are increasingly recognized as an effective way to support the shift towards decentralization. These types of technology solutions benefit from standardization and interchangeable modules – allowing for pre-assembly, testing and seamless integration into a variety of different systems – thus reducing complexities and costs related to manufacturing and assembly6.
This is achieved through the Module Type Package (MTP), a standardized methodology that enables interoperability between any module and orchestration system developed in the MTP framework.
In this scenario, Distributed Control Systems (DCS) will evolve to process orchestration systems that manage the operation of the modular units. The MTP contains all necessary information to integrate a module into a modular plant, such as the communication, the services, a human machine interface (HMI) description and maintenance information.
ABB has launched the world’s first commercial modular enabled process automation solution, the first to combine an orchestration layer and a module layer integrated with the technology of MTPs7.
Standards such as VDI/VDE/NAMUR 2658 set out guidelines that address the automation of modular plants, with the MTP as the central element providing an interface between the module and the process orchestration layer. Dividing complex processes into manageable, self-contained modules increases interoperability between vendors, reduces time-to-market and time-to-repair, and enables the efficient conversion of plants8.
Finland leads from the front on green hydrogen
Finland is blazing a trail in the global energy transition by leveraging green hydrogen and Power-to-X (P2X), using electricity as a raw material. The country has some of the cheapest and lowest-carbon electricity in Europe, a powerful electrical grid and great potential for expanding wind power, which in turn means a substantial increase in production capacity for hydrogen9.
Finland has the ambitious goal of being carbon neutral by 2035 and producing at least 10 per cent of all green hydrogen within the European Union by 203010.
Finland is well-positioned to capture this opportunity due to its multiple competitive advantages: a robust and clean electricity system, cost-competitive renewable generation potential, abundant natural resources in forestry, biogenic CO2, metals, and water, a stable business environment, supportive government, a high-tech society, and existing expertise in industries expected to be large suppliers of technologies and services to the hydrogen economy, as well as users of hydrogen.
Finland could potentially meet over 14 percent of the domestic RePowerEU target (10 million tons/y) by 2030 with its clean hydrogen production. One regional network will develop around industrial clusters to support new clean manufacturing and industry across the region. Excess clean hydrogen and hydrogen derivates could also be exported from Finland to other demand centers, especially in Central Europe.
Combined with new modular automation solutions that have the potential to build intelligence into large industrial hydrogen systems (see the next section on ABB’s collaborative project with VTT), this constitutes a significant competitive edge for Finnish OEMs, both domestically and on a global scale.
ABB, B&R and VTT: the power of partnership
In the developing world of modularization, collaboration between competing technology vendors, OEMs and government entities to co-develop technologies that drive efficiencies is key to success.
According to the IEA11, more than 70 percent of the potential annual production of low-emission hydrogen (38 million tonnes a year by 2030) is based on electrolysis and low-emission electricity. It is therefore crucial to accelerate the scale of electrolyzer capacity12. One way to achieve this is by introducing a standardized concept for electrolyzers, based on continuous testing and the expertise and integration of all project partners and products, to both reduce costs and improve production efficiencies.
ABB and VTT, one of Europe’s leading research institutions, recently embarked on a concept project to investigate the potential of modular automation in green hydrogen production. VTT provided the electrolyzer system technology, while ABB's machine and factory automation team focused on modular automation and MTP, utilizing OPC UA for information modelling and communication.
MTP uses OPC UA to transfer information between the module level and orchestration level, with the former acting as an instruction manual on how to operate the module and what information is transferred using the interface. The ultimate goal was to understand how to write this instruction manual for the hydrogen application.
The partners gathered data, built and tested modular automation concepts and undertook technical implementation of the MTP. The project also aimed to understand and improve the interconnectivity between OEM module vendors and system integrators – with the aim of adding real business value.
In summary, collaborative projects like these are essential to test the effectiveness and reliability of modular automation solutions in boosting electrolyzer capacity, supporting the shift towards energy decentralization and helping ensure green hydrogen fulfils its potential in the clean energy transition.
1,3 A digital path to grid code compliance’ - ABB white paper, May 2021
2,5,8 Modular Automation
4 https://www.gridx.ai/knowledge/sector-coupling
6 https://www.ppcanda.com/designing-for-modular-control-automation-systems/
7 https://new.abb.com/control-systems/modular-automation/module-type-package
9, 10 https://h2cluster.fi/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/H2C-H2-Strategy-for-Finland.pdf
11 https://www.iea.org/reports/global-hydrogen-review-2023/executive-summary
12 Setting the standard for cost-effective green hydrogen production
