While most developers rely on simplified spreadsheets or generic LCOH calculators, Verdigy is betting on a more granular, system-integrated approach. At a recent Energy News webinar, Dr. Karen Das, simulation software lead at Verdigy, presented Energize, the company’s digital twin platform designed to simulate green hydrogen ecosystems with high fidelity and operational realism.
The hydrogen economy’s growth hinges on infrastructure optimized for variability—across geographies, energy markets, and plant configurations. According to Das, the standard practice of modeling electrolyzer performance as a static asset within a fixed renewable input is insufficient for modern project design.
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Verdigy’s critique of conventional models centers on their inability to capture the nuances of dynamic operation. While most models assume full-load hours and uniform renewable input, Energize factors in real-time intermittency, matching renewables to electrolyzer response on an hourly basis. This allows users to simulate how efficiency fluctuates under variable load conditions—a known challenge for hydrogen developers seeking to balance plant utilization with grid economics.
For instance, Verdigy’s system can model an electrolyzer operating at just 5% capacity and then ramping back to 100%, while accounting for system-wide impacts on balance-of-plant components such as compressors, rectifiers, and thermal systems.
Das underscored that Energize is not limited to modeling a single electrolyzer unit; it builds a digital twin of the entire hydrogen value chain—from generation and storage to battery buffers and grid interconnection. This approach contrasts sharply with typical project development workflows, which often model these elements in isolation.
The platform integrates over 40 design parameters, including battery round-trip efficiency, hydrogen storage capacity, and incentive timing. More critically, it allows users to experiment with site-specific scenarios—adjusting for locational marginal pricing (LMP), solar generation profiles, or market exposure over 20- to 30-year asset lifespans. In an environment where the LCOH is often dictated by electricity costs, the ability to simulate seasonal and hourly electricity pricing can shift project economics substantially.
Beyond its technical claims, Verdigy positions Energize as a multifunctional platform supporting R&D, project development, and customer engagement. Verdigy has also enabled live modeling sessions with clients—an effort to reduce investment uncertainty and validate configuration decisions in real time.
Importantly, this strategy supports modular plant design at scale. Verdigy’s 20 MW units can be configured into gigawatt-scale systems, with each subsystem modeled individually and aggregated to reflect composite performance. This level of detail supports both system design and comparative analysis between different electrolyzer stacks or storage configurations—an often-overlooked variable when assessing long-term OPEX.
The main takeaway from Verdigy’s presentation is clear: as hydrogen project complexity increases, static models and generic assumptions are no longer sufficient. High-resolution, system-wide modeling is becoming essential not just for project design, but for operational strategy, financing, and stakeholder alignment.
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