Modelling and hardware analysis of a fuel cell / photovoltaic system

Hydrogen, the simplest and most abundant element known to man, is an energy carrier with the potential to revolutionize the entire energy system and replace conventional fossil fuels. It can be produced using a wide range of technologies from environmentally friendly resources such as wind and solar, and then stored and used whenever necessary to deliver energy in a usable form. Apart from being a major potential future source of clean power in the transportation sector, it is also widely used in the chemical process industries. The study outlined in this paper discusses the development of a small-scale hybrid system where proton exchange membrane fuel cells are used in conjunction with hydrogen gas storage components and photovoltaics to produce a reliable renewable energy system. A computational tool has also been developed by modelling the characteristics of the system in MATLAB.