Location and sizing of hydrogen based systems in distribution network for renewable energy integration

•Hydrogen based systems equipped with a storage can improve renewable integration.•Micro genetic algorithm results adequate to size hydrogen systems.•Decentralized control allows managing hydrogen systems in secondary substations.•The studied distribution system achieves 38.7% of self-consumed renewable energy.•Reverse power flows are reduced of 14.7% by means of 10 hydrogen systems. The increasing penetration of distributed generation at LV and MV level is a hard challenge for Distribution System Operators (DSOs). Hydrogen technologies have recorded a great interest in the last decades as promising drivers for the energy transition. This paper proposes the installation of Hydrogen Systems (HSs), consisting of Fuel Cells, Electrolysers and hydrogen storage, in order to increase energy performances of the Distribution Network (DN) and to better integrate distributed generation. HSs location and sizing problem is solved considering the necessity for DSOs to ensure the secure and stable DN operation. HSs are not influenced by other end uses related to other energy sectors and are characterized by a fully decentralized management system, applicable in Secondary Substations (SSs). The evaluation is based on the concept of Energy Districts (EDs), defined as a group of SSs that present a single point of connection with the rest of the radially operated DN. The DN of the city of Terni is the real case study: available data measured at SSs for every quarter hour of year 2019 are used. 10 HSs are installed by the algorithm, reaching a high rate of renewable energy self-consumed and a relevant decrease of Reverse Power Flows.