03/24/2026
By Danielle Fretwell

The Francis College of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, invites you to attend a Doctoral Dissertation defense by Victor Eniola on: "Optimization of Hydrogen Energy Storage Systems for Microgrids Considering Geospatial and Temporal Variations."

Candidate Name: Victor Eniola
Degree: Doctoral
Defense Date: Thursday, April 2, 2026
Time: 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Location: Southwick 313

Committee:

  • Advisor: Christopher Niezrecki, Ph.D., Professor, Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, UMass Lowell
  • Co-Advisor: Xinfang Jin, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, UT Dallas
  • David Willis, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, UMass Lowell
  • Juan Pablo Trelles, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, UMass Lowell
  • Hanping Ding, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, School of Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering, The University of Oklahoma

Brief Abstract:
Addressing wind resource intermittency is essential for the reliable and cost-effective design of renewable-based microgrids, particularly in remote and mission-critical applications. This dissertation develops a detailed system-level framework for hybrid wind–hydrogen microgrids, beginning with an investigation of how wind speed variability influences optimal component sizing. Using low-order component models and real load data from an off-grid naval installation, the analysis shows that increased fluctuation amplitude reduces required wind turbine capacity while significantly increasing hydrogen storage needs, whereas fluctuation frequency has a negligible impact on system configuration. Building on this foundation, the study introduces wind capacity overbuilding as a design strategy to mitigate intermittency and improve techno-economic performance. By integrating a rule-based energy management scheme with multi-objective genetic algorithm optimization, the results identify an optimal overbuilding range that balances capital cost, levelized cost of energy, and curtailment. The findings further reveal that increased overbuilding reduces electrolyzer capacity requirements, thereby lowering hydrogen storage costs and enhancing overall system efficiency. To contextualize storage technology selection, a comparative assessment of hydrogen and lithium-iron battery storage is conducted within a unified modeling and optimization framework. The results demonstrate that wind-hydrogen systems achieve lower costs and reduced curtailment under baseline conditions, making them more suitable for applications requiring high renewable utilization and energy autonomy, while wind-battery systems are preferable for scenarios prioritizing lower upfront investment and operational efficiency. Finally, the framework is extended to examine the impact of geospatial variability on optimal system design by incorporating site-specific wind characteristics, ambient temperature, and atmospheric pressure for geographically distinct islanded locations. The results show that environmental conditions significantly influence component sizing, thermal management requirements, and system capital cost, while achieving a comparable levelized cost of energy under the same reliability constraints. Collectively, this work establishes a rigorous, integrated approach to the design and optimization of hybrid wind-based microgrids, providing insights into variability management, storage selection, capacity planning, and site-specific system adaptation for resilient and economically viable energy systems.