International Journal of Emerging Trends & Technology in Computer Science (IJETTCS)

Web Site: www.ijettcs.org Email: editor@ijettcs.org, editorijettcs@gmail.com Volume 1, Issue 2, July August 2012 ISSN 2278-6856

Technical Feasibility of Photovoltaic Fuel Cell: A Model of Green Home Power Supply for Rural India
S.N.Singh1, Preeta John2, Navneet Prabhakar3
National Institute of Technology Jamshedpur, India 2 NTTF Jamshedpur, India 3 National Institute of Technology Jamshedpur, India
1

Abstract: In this paper a hybrid solar PV fuel cell (PVFC) power generating system employing PV module, Battery for storage , PEM electrolyser for hydrogen generation, PEM FC for DC electricity generation, and PCU(inverter) for DC-AC converter purpose have been designed and modeled for conversion of DC power obtainable from renewable energy sorces to AC power for indian rural house. The hydrogen fuel cell serves as the primary power source and the photo-voltaic cell acts as the secondary power source. If the household load is greater than the power produced by the primary source i.e fuel cell then both PV and FC act together to manage the load. The stimulation has been done using MATLAB/ SIMULINK. Load sensitivity analysis has been conducted with varying load as well as insolation and the results were found consistant.

Keyword : PVFC, Solar Cell, PEM Fuel Cell, DC-AC converter, PEM Electrolyser etc.

1. INTRODUCTION
Electricity is the basic need of a human being. The demand of electricity is increasing day by day. On the other hand the generating capacity of grid power station is falling due to shoratage of raw materials such as fossil fuel (Natural gas, petroleum, etc.). Also the products on their combustion are causing global problems like greenhouse effect and pollution which are greatest threats to our environment today[1]. Renewable energy sources (Solar, wind, FC, etc.) are a few alternative energy sources. Among all solar PV sources is gaining popularity due to production of pollution free green electricity from freely available solar radiation, available in every corner of country throughout the season. However due to large variation in solar radiation during sun hour and large sizing of PV cell, the PV system needs to be integrated with other sources such as battery or fuel cell to make it cost effective. The fuel cell power supply is very attractive option to be used in an integrated system along with the PV cell, because the fuel cell power system has many attractive features such as efficiency, fast load-response, modular production and fuel flexibility. The fast response of the fuel cell can solve the photovoltaics inherent problem of intermittent power generation. Moreover, their high efficiency Volume 1, Issue 2 July-August 2012

results in almost no CO2 emission, which will help in reducing the rate of global warming [2]. In order to adopt such system for rural environment, the technical feasibility study of such PVFC system need to be carried out with model parameters available in manufacturers performance data sheets or measurements obtained from literature. In this research work, design model and control strategy of an autonomous PVFC system has been developed and simulation test has been performed to validate the system for supply of power to rural house in remote area where grid is not available. The PV as a standalone may produces electricity to meet the energy requirement of home load [3]. But during low radiation period, the system require to be integrated with fuel cell & supplement the load power requirement at user end. PV cell charges the battery and charges are fed to electolyser which in turn fed to fuel cell for producing electricity. A schematic diagram of the system is shown in Fig.1. The fuel cell acts as primary source and the PV cell acts as secondary power supply.

Figure 1: Schematic Diagram of Photo-voltaic Fuel cell (PVFC) hybrid system 2. FUEL CELL The Fuel cell (FC) is an electrochemical device that produces direct current electricity through the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen in the presence of an electrolyte. They are an attractive option for use with intermittent Page 216

International Journal of Emerging Trends & Technology in Computer Science (IJETTCS)

Web Site: www.ijettcs.org Email: editor@ijettcs.org, editorijettcs@gmail.com Volume 1, Issue 2, July August 2012 ISSN 2278-6856
sources of generation, like the PV, because of high efficiency, fast load response, modularity, and fuel flexibility. Unlike a battery, a FC does not require recharging. Their feasibility in coordination with PV systems can be demonstrated successfully for both gridconnected or grid deprived a standalone applications. Other advantages of FC are the re-usability of exhaust heat, on-site installation, and diversity of fuels. The fuel for the FC can be hydrogen or any other hydrogencontaining compound, which on reprocessing can produce hydrogen. The use of electrolysis to produce hydrogen from water is an efficient method from very small to very large scales. Additionally, when PV is used with the electrolyzer, it is the cleanest source of hydrogen with no pollutants produced. On the small scale, a PV array coupled to an electrolyzer and H2 storage tank provides a flexible system, which could be installed in any location in rural India with little maintenance. A single PEM fuel cell produces a limited voltage, usually less than 1V. In order to produce a useful voltage for practical applications, several cells are connected in series to form a fuel cell stack. The output voltage depends on the number of the cells in the stack. The PEM electrolyzer and PEM fuel cell can work in reverse action mode of operation. dT= difference between Tcell and Tstc Ci = current temperature coefficient (1/deg.C) = 6e-3/Pstc* Vmpp Cv = voltage temperature coefficient (1/deg.C) = -73e-3/Vmpp The value of STC (Standard Test Conditions) Power per unit of area is 76.3W/m2. The value of K (thermal resistance) has been determined to be 0.021 from 5 sec average value of irradiance over a year. The calculations have been carried out on the basis of the standard photovoltaic module with the parameters shown in the Table. 1 for Solyndra SL-001-150(150 W).
Table 1 : Electrical Characteristics Sl. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Parameter(s) Rated Power Pmpp Rated Voltage Vmpp Rated Current Impp Open Circuit Voltage Voc Short Circuit Current Isc Temp. Coefficient of Power Temp. Coefficient of Voltage Series Fuse Rating Specifications 150 Wp 65.7 V 2.28 A 91.4 V 2.72 A - 0.38%/C -0.265 V/C 23 A

3. MODELLING
In a photovoltaic cell operating in the clamped voltage region, the output voltage of the module is fixed at the operating voltage of the system which is equal to the battery voltage (+12 V in this case). Assuming the module temperature is linearly dependent on the ambient temperature and power. Tcell =Tamb+ K.G (1) Where, Tcell : Cell temperature Tamb : Ambient temperature G : Irradiance W/m2 K : Equivalent thermal resistance The parametric equation for calculating the module Power [3] is expressed as : Pmod = Pstc *((Grel+ L)/ (Grel+ O))*N*Grel (2) Where, Grel = G/Gref Gref = 1000 W/m2 L= 0.001267789 O = 0.025403774 N = (1+O)/ (1+L) MPP Power corrected by temperature coefficient is given in equation (3) Pmpp,corrected = Pmod(1+ Ci.dT)(1+Cv.dT) Where, Volume 1, Issue 2 July-August 2012 (3)

A Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyser Fig.2(a) is used in order to get H2 gas from water [4][5]. The temperature of water should be in the range 80100C. The energy required is 500Wh/Nm3 of H2. The global reactions taking place at the electrodes are: Anode : 6H2O(l) => O2(g) + 4H3O+(l) + 4eCathode : 4H3O+(l) + 4e- => 4H2(g)+ 4H2O(l) The cell half reactions are: Anode : H2 => 2H+ + 2eCathode : O2 + 2H+ + 2e- => H2O The overall reaction: H2 + O2 => H2O

Figure 2: (a) A PEM electrolyser (b) PEM Fuel Cell Page 217

International Journal of Emerging Trends & Technology in Computer Science (IJETTCS)

Web Site: www.ijettcs.org Email: editor@ijettcs.org, editorijettcs@gmail.com Volume 1, Issue 2, July August 2012 ISSN 2278-6856
Table 2 : PEM Electrolyser Parameter(s) Specification Type PEM Temperature of Operation 80-100C Pressure of Operation 1-70 bars Electric consumption 500Wh Energy efficiency 80-90% Life duration 1,50,000 hours

Sl. 1 2 3 4 5 6

5. POWER CONDITIONING UNITS (PCUS)

Photovoltaic or Fuel Cell power systems, which generate power as a direct current (DC), require power conversion units to convert the power from DC to alternating current (AC). This power could be connected to the transmission and distribution network of a utility grid or grid deprived stand alone rural grid. There are other applications, where it is necessary to be able to control power flow in both directions between the AC and DC sides. For all these cases power conditioning units are used. Power conditioning units (PCUs) are defined generally as a module that transforms DC power to AC power (inverters). Here in this study a power converter of 12 volt has been proposed which convert 12 volt DC supply to 220 volt 50 Hz approximated sine wave power supply. The THD value of such PSU is very low in the order of 10% or even low.

The obtained H2 is fed to the PEM Fuel cell Fig.2(b) which gives the output to the DC-AC inverter for further supply to other circuits. The ratings of the PEM hydrogen fuel cells are given as [6] the specification is reflected in Table 3.
Sl . 1 2 3 Table 3 : PEM Fuel Cell rating Parameter(s) Specifications Fuel cell current rating at 48V Fuel cell power rating at 48 V Fuel utilization factor 10 A 480 W 0.9

4. POWER MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

In the schematic diagram of the PVFC Solar hybrid system as shown in Fig.1, the Photo-voltaic cell acts as the secondary power source. The main motive of the PV cell is providing power to the electrolyser for electrolysis and production of hydrogen. The Fuel Cell acts as the primary power source and is capable to meet the entire power needs of a small rural house [7]. The power provided by the FC is fed to the DC-AC inverter which converts the DC power to the required AC power to meet the home load [8][9]. In case of overload, shortage of power or failure of fuel cell due to any reason, then the PV cell provides an emergency backup system. The secondary battery stores power when the PV cell is not providing energy to the electrolyser for electrolysis i.e. when there is sufficient inventory of hydrogen available. The power flow diagram given below shows the operation of the PVFC integrated system (Fig. 3)

6. SIMULATION AND RESULTS

The mathematical models of the PVFC Solar hybrid system described above have been simulated in MATLAB 7(2009) version. The simulation consists of the temperature variation and its effect on photovoltaic module to generate power output of the photovoltaic cell during sun hour period (Fig.4). The energy produced by PV cell is stored in Battery. The output power of the PV system, however, fluctuates specially during cloudy weather depending on solar insulation and surface Temperature. The use of holography film on solar plate may increase the efficiency of these solar plates.

Then a storage system must be used to deliver the required power at lower insulation levels and during the night. The panel surface temperature varies between 20 and 45C during the year.

Figure 5: SOC of Battery Figure 3: Power Flow diagram of the PVFC Solar hybrid power system Volume 1, Issue 2 July-August 2012 Page 218

International Journal of Emerging Trends & Technology in Computer Science (IJETTCS)

Web Site: www.ijettcs.org Email: editor@ijettcs.org, editorijettcs@gmail.com Volume 1, Issue 2, July August 2012 ISSN 2278-6856
The photovoltaic module stops supplying power to the primary battery when the battery is fully charged or the H2 storage is full and starts supplying power to the secondary battery. The critical state of charge (SOC_critical) is taken as 40% of SOC. Fig. 5 shows the percentage time for which the SOC is higher than 40%. This shows the optimal design of PV as well as battery sizing for average load under consideration 480 Wh. It is seen that the photovoltaic cell provides enough power for the PEM electrolyser to operate during summer months but during winter time the power provided by the PV cell reduces and the primary battery is charged slowly hence the production of H2 is hampered and so is the power supply to the output. So for the winter months, it is suggested that either we use more number of solar panels or the supply to the electrolyser has to be discontinuous for some period of time allowing the primary battery to charge. During that period the emergency load can be carried out by the secondary battery. The operation of PV cell is independent of the load and only depends on the availability of irradiance. The load profile of fuel cell is shown in Fig 6&7. solar PV devices, various antipollution apparatus can be operated such as water purification through electro chemical processing and stopping desert expansion by PV water pumping with tree plantation. However, control problems arise due to large variances of PV output power under different insulation levels. To overcome this problem, PV power plants integrated with one such FC system has been proposed in this research study The PVFC technology is very promising for delivering clean and efficient power for applications in rural areas. With increased pollution and greenhouse gas emission concerns, PVFC serves the needs as an eco-friendly technology with no carbon emission. The fuel cell provides the PVFC system compactness, it has no moving parts which lead to no combustion in ideal conditions, and thus the system can achieve 99.99% reliability. Fuel cells and Photovoltaic cells when used alone are quiet inefficient, but when both are integrated they not only reduce the cost but also become more efficient. This technology is very useful power source in remote locations where electricity is not available. The PVFC systems have a wide range of application in the rural areas such as home power supply, pumping sets used in farms, charging laptops and cellular phones etc. The power supply may find its application in petrol pump in remote area. The rural telephone exchange can be powered from this system. Literacy programme can be conducted in adult education centres during evening hours. Village market can be powered through this source of supply even in late hours of night.

8. CONCLUSION
Figure 6: Load Profile of Fuel Cell in Summer The simulations and results show that the PVFC Solar hybrid system is capable of performing well in meeting the external load using the energy produced by the system. The power supplied by the Fuel Cell is DC which is converted to AC by the inverter as the power required by the household appliances is AC signal. The PVFC system is economically feasible as the production of power is dependent on two sources and the life time expectancy of both the sources is relatively higher as compared to conventional power sources. This system is easy to install, easily available and relatively easier to handle. Thus we can say that the PVFC Solar hybrid system should serve as a reliable viable power source in rural areas.

Figure 7: Load Profile of Fuel Cell in Winter 7. APPLICATION OF PVFC SYSTEM

REFERENCES
[1] T.Veziroglu, Hydrogen Energy System: A Permanent Solution to Global Problems, Clean Energy Research Institute, USA, 2004. http://www.iahe.org/hydrogen energy system.htm [2] D.Mayer, R.Metkemeijer, S. Busquet, P.Caselitz, J.Bard, and et al, Photovoltaic/Electrolyser/fuel cell hybrid system the Tomorrow Power Station for Remote Areas, 17th EPVSEC, Munich Germany, pp.2529-2530, 2001.

Renewable energy sources (solar, wind, etc) are attracting more attention as alternative energy sources to conventional fossil fuel energy sources. This is not only due to the diminishing fuel sources, but also due to environmental pollution and global warming problems. Among these sources is the solar energy, which is the most promising, as the fabrication of less costly PV devices becomes a reality. With increased penetration of
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International Journal of Emerging Trends & Technology in Computer Science (IJETTCS)

Web Site: www.ijettcs.org Email: editor@ijettcs.org, editorijettcs@gmail.com Volume 1, Issue 2, July August 2012 ISSN 2278-6856
[3] D.S. Kim, A.M. Gabor, V. Yelundur, A.D. Upadhyaya, V. Meemongkolkiat, A. Rohatgi. "String ribbon silicon solar cells with 17.8% efficiency". Proceedings of 3rd World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion, pp1293 1296, 2003. [4] A.R.Balkin, Modelling A 500W Polymer Electrolyzer Membrane Fuel Cell, Bs.D, University of Technology, Facaulty of Engineering, Sydney, 2002. [5] F.Barbir, T.Gomez, Efficiency and Economics of Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cells, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, Vol.22, No.10/11, pp.1027-1037, 1997. [6] G.Hoogers, Fuel Cell Technology handbook, CRC Press LLC, 2003. [7] ASME 8th International Fuel Cell Science, Engineering & Technology Conference, 2010. [8] S.Busquet, R.Metkemeyer and D.Mayer: Development of a Clean Stand-alone Power System Integrating PV, Fuel Cell and Electrolyser, Proc. Of the Photovoltaic Hybrid Power Systems Conference, Aix en Provence, 2000. [9] J.Benz, B.Ortiz, W.Roth, and et al, Fuel Cells in Photovoltaic Hybrid Systems for Stand-Alone Power Suplies, 2nd European PV-Hybrid and Mini-Grid Conference, Kassel, Germany, pp. 1- 4, 2003.

AUTHORS

Dr S.N. Singh had completed doctoral PhD degree at the Department of Electrical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Jamshedpur (India). He obtained his B.Tech degree in Electronics and communication engineering from BIT Mesra (A Deemed university), Ranchi Jharkhand (India) in 1979/80. Presently his area of interest is solar energy conversion technology. He had published more than 50 papers in National and International journals based on his research work. He had remained Head of Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering for two terms and presently heading Govt. of India sponsored VLSI SMDP-II Project. Preeta John graduated in Electrical Engineering from T.K.M College of Engineering, (Kerala University) Kollam, Kerala - India and post-graduated in Power Electronics from National Institute of Technology Calicut, Kerala - India. Her areas of interest are soft switched DC-DC and DC-AC converters and Renewable energy sources. She is currently heading the Electronic department at NTTF at R D Tata Technical Education Centre, Jamshedpur. Navneet Prabhakar is pursuing B.Tech (Hons) in Electronics and Communication Engineering from National Institute of Technology, Jamshedpur (India). His area of interest is non conventional energy sources and their development. He has completed several projects on VLSI based control system .

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