Optimization and Techno-Economic Analysis of Autonomous Photovoltaic/Fuel Cell Energy System

Abstract

This paper introduces a method to unit sizing hybrid Photovoltaic/Fuel Cell generation system for a typical domestic load that is not located near the electric grid. In this con¯guration the combination of a battery, an electrolyser, and a hydrogen storage tank are used as the energy storage system. The aim of this design is finding the configuration, among a set of systems components, which meets the desired system reliability requirements, with the lowest value of levelized cost of energy over 20 years of operation. An energy based modelling has been developed using Matlab/Simulink to observe evolution of the system during a typical day, and the results are reported and discussed in the paper. An overall power management strategy is designed for the proposed system to manage power flows among the different energy sources and the storage unit in the system. The results show that a system composed with a photovoltaic generator, a fuel cell, an electrolyser and a battery can deliver energy in a stand-alone installation with an acceptable cost.