Low-Frequency Current Oscillations and Maximum Power Point Tracking in Grid-Connected Fuel-Cell-Based Systems

The study of a double-stage single-phase inverter for fuel-cell-based applications is proposed in this paper. A novel control strategy aimed at reducing the low-frequency oscillations of the fuel-cell (FC) current in order to guarantee the FC safety operating conditions is proposed. The reduction of such oscillations increases the FC lifetime and avoids high mechanical stress of the membrane and unnecessary consumption of reactants. Furthermore, it allows one to design a strategy for extracting the maximum power from the FC stack with a total control of the concentration losses. Simulation and experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed approach.