The PhD study is targeted at (i) examining the technical barriers to realising pure-DC microgrids; (ii) contributing to a plan to overcome these barriers; (iii) contributing to the design of a pure-DC microgrid for the Blue Economy CRC and (iv) creating mathematical models to be tested on the real demonstration system. This project is undertaken in conjunction with industry partners Optimal Group and Pitt & Sherry (Operations).

This research is being done in the period of growth and interest in green hydrogen as an energy source, the growth of decarbonisation and hydrogen’s use for industry as well as the increasing use of renewable microgrids around the world. There is a growth and demand for hydrogen products and its use as energy storage in Australia and around the world. Renewable systems are increasingly looking at pure-DC systems and renewable energy is increasing in its usage for energy in residential, industrial and commercial applications. Green hydrogen research and pilot projects include grid balancing, gas pipeline injection, energy storage, mining and chemicals production. Hydrogen can be used in energy systems in various storage types as well as to create chemicals or gases such as methanol, syngas and ammonia. What the aims and objectives of the study are and to achieve the target of the study the following will be researched, reviewed, the results will to be used for simulations and papers:

• To review the state of the art for hydrogen, control architecture and pure-DC microgrids in the world.
• To review storage methods that will be used in the short to medium term in such microgrids.
• To review hardware for simulations and emulations to simulate these hydrogen DC microgrids for use in real life commercial situations.
• To simulate such a hydrogen DC microgrid system with inputs and outputs using software such as Matlab/Simulink or PLECS, analyse and write on the findings.