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Energy Procedia 00 (2018) 000–000

ScienceDirect
ScienceDirect
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Energy
Energy Procedia
Procedia 159 (2019)000–000
00 (2017) 96–103
www.elsevier.com/locate/procedia

Applied Energy Symposium and Forum, Renewable Energy Integration with Mini/Microgrids,
REM 2018, 29–30 September 2018, Rhodes, Greece

Grid-Tied Solar
The 15thPV/Fuel Cell
International Hybrid
Symposium on Power System
District Heating for University
and Cooling
Building
Assessing the feasibility of using the heat demand-outdoor
temperature function
Choukifor a long-term
Ghenai a
district
*and Maamar heat
Bettayeb b
demand forecast
a
Department of Sustaianble and Renewable Energy Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Sharjah, P.O. Box 27272, Sharjah, UAE
a,b,c a a b c c
b
I. Andrić *, A. Pina , P. Ferrão , J. Fournier ., B. Lacarrière , O. Le Corre
Department of Electrcial and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Sharjah, P.O. Box 27272, Sharjah, UAE

a
IN+ Center for Innovation, Technology and Policy Research - Instituto Superior Técnico, Av. Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal
b
Veolia Recherche & Innovation, 291 Avenue Dreyfous Daniel, 78520 Limay, France
c
Abstract Département Systèmes Énergétiques et Environnement - IMT Atlantique, 4 rue Alfred Kastler, 44300 Nantes, France

The results of an optimized design of grid-connected renewable energy system for University building are presented in this paper.
Integrated modelling, simulation, optimization and control strategies are used to test the performance and select the best hybrid
Abstract power system. The main objective is to design a grid connected renewable energy system to meet the electric load of
renewable
the building with high penetration of renewable energy, low greenhouse gas emissions, and low cost of energy. Hourly
District heating
simulations, networks
modelling and are commonlywere
optimization addressed in the
performed to literature
determineastheone of the mostand
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cost of solutions
the hybrid forpower
decreasing
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cell capacity of 100 kW integrated with the grid, the total energy generated from grid-tied renewable energy system to meet the
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buildings that vary in both construction period and typology. Three weather scenarios (low, medium,
performance and electricity generation from the proposed grid-tied solar PV/Fuel cell power system is also presented in this high) and three district
renovation
paper. scenariosgrid-tied
The proposed were developed (shallow,
solar PV/fuel Cell intermediate,
hybrid powerdeep). systemTowithestimate theoferror,
the sale obtained
electricity backheat
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the grid values were
has a high
compared with results from a dynamic heat demand model, previously developed and validated
renewable fraction (40.4 %), low levelized cost of energy (71 $/MWh), and low carbon dioxide emissions (133 kg CO 2/MWh). by the authors.
The results showed that when only weather change is considered, the margin of error could be acceptable for some applications
©(the
2019 TheinAuthors.
error annual Published
demand by Elsevier Ltd.20% for all weather scenarios considered). However, after introducing renovation
Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd.wasAlllower
rights than
reserved.
This is an open access article under the CC-BY-NC-ND licenseon(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of(depending
scenarios, the error value increased up to 59.5% the scientific the weather and
committee renovation
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Energy Symposium considered).
Forum,
Selection
The valueandof peer-review
slope underincreased
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the committee
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that and Forum,
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Renewable
Renewable Energy Integration with Mini/Microgrids, REM 2018.
decrease inEnergy Integration
the number with hours
of heating Mini/Microgrids, REM 2018.
of 22-139h during the heating season (depending on the combination of weather and
renovation
Keywords: scenarios
Renewable considered).
energy; solar PV;On the other
hydrogen hand,
fuel cell; function
grid-tied intercept
energy system,increased forsystem,
hybrid power 7.8-12.7% per decade
modeling (depending on the
and simulation.
coupled scenarios). The values suggested could be used to modify the function parameters for the scenarios considered, and
improve the accuracy of heat demand estimations.

© 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Peer-review under responsibility of the Scientific Committee of The 15th International Symposium on District Heating and
Cooling.
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +971-6-5053971; fax: 971-6-5585191.
E-mail address: cghenai@sharjah.ac.ae
Keywords: Heat demand; Forecast; Climate change
1876-6102 Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the Applied Energy Symposium and Forum, Renewable Energy
Integration with Mini/Microgrids, REM 2018.
1876-6102 © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
1876-6102 © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Peer-review under responsibility of the Scientific Committee of The 15th International Symposium on District Heating and Cooling.
This is an open access article under the CC-BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the Applied Energy Symposium and Forum, Renewable Energy
Integration with Mini/Microgrids, REM 2018.
10.1016/j.egypro.2018.12.025
 Chouki Ghenai et al. / Energy Procedia 159 (2019) 96–103 97
2 Chaouki Ghenai/ Energy Procedia 00 (2018) 000–000

1. Introduction

The fast economic development and rapid growth of the world energy demand has raised worries over the
overwhelming ecological effects (environmental change and dangerous atmospheric impacts because of ozone
depleting substance discharges from the combustion of petroleum products), depletion of the fossil fuel resources
and the lack of future energy supply. Sustainable and renewable energy systems and alternative renewable fuels are
needed to meet the future energy demand for different sectors (transportation, buildings, and industry) [1]. The
energy consumption for buildings has increased for the last years. It has reached an average of 40% to 50% of the
total energy consumptions (example: 40% of the total U.S. energy was consumed by residential and commercial
buildings in 2016). In the United Arab Emirates the energy consumption for building can reach 80% of the total
energy consumption [2]. This is mainly due the energy consumption from air conditioning system of this country
located in the desert region. This trend in energy demand increase for the UAE buildings will continue in the future
(due to economic and population growth, increase in the services and comfort level of the buildings). The integration
of renewable energy systems and the development of more efficient energy system will play a key role in the
building sector.
The development of micro grid power systems is one way to increase the share of renewable energy systems in
the energy mix. Grid-tied, off-grid and hybrid renewable (wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, hydro) energy systems
can be developed and integrated with existing or new residential and commercial buildings. The micro grid power
systems will use distributed energy systems using renewable energy resources, energy storage, and power
conditioning units such as inverters and rectifiers. The micro grid renewable power system can be connected to the
utility grid (grid-connection or grid-tied renewable energy systems) or can operate as stand-alone or off-grid power
system. A grid-connection solar PV for example will help to save more money through better efficiency rates, net
metering, plus lower equipment and installation costs (higher capital cost and operation and maintenance of the off-
grid solar PV/battery system): The system will also help to sell electricity back to the grid (excess power). An off-
grid or stand-alone solar PV system is an alternative to the grid-tied solar PV system. This is a good option for
residential building that has no access to the grid. The off-grid solar systems require battery storage and a backup
generator. The battery bank needs to be replaced after approximately 10 years, are expensive, and decrease the
overall system efficiency (losses during the charge and discharge of the battery). Several studies can be found in the
literature on the use of micro grid power systems for different applications [3-7]. Simulation and optimization
techniques were used in previous studies for the optimized design of hybrid renewable power systems. HOMER
software (Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewable) and Simulink [8-13] have been used to identify the
optimal grid-tied and off-grid system architectures for the power systems.
This study focuses on the use of renewable energy system to power commercial building. Fossil fuel is the main
or the primary fuel to generate electricity for these buildings. New energy systems using renewable energy resources
and sustainable and renewable fuels can be used as alternative to the conventional fossil fuel based power systems.
This represents a sustainable solution to the high energy consumption of commercial buildings. For example, Hazem
et al. [14] developed optimal design of stand-alone hybrid photovoltaics and fuel cell power system without battery
storage to supply the electric load demand of the city of Brest in France. The results of the numerical simulation
showed that the hybrid power systems based on solar PV and fuel cells are a viable alternative to diesel generators.
The fuel cell generator can efficiently complement the fluctuating renewable resource of the solar PV system to
satisfy the energy demand of the city.
The principal objective of this study is to design and optimized grid-connected solar PV and fuel cell hybrid
power system in order to meet the desired electric load of the commercial building (University of Sharjah
Administration building). The goal is to design a grid-tied renewable power system with high renewable fraction,
low levelized cost of energy and with low environmental impacts (reduce the CO2 emissions).
98 Chouki Ghenai et al. / Energy Procedia 159 (2019) 96–103
Chaouki Ghenai/ Energy Procedia 00 (2018) 000–000 3

2. Modeling Approach

2.1. Grid-Tied Solar/Fuel Cell Power System

The grid-connected hybrid power system, shown in Fig. 1 consists of a solar PV array, fuel cell, electrolyzer,
hydrogen tank, inverter (DC/AC power conversion) and utility grid. The building AC load is based on the building
energy consumption (A/C, lighting and other equipment as shown in Fig. 1). More details about the equations used
to model the power output (solar PV, and fuel cell) and power input (electrolyzer) from the renewable power system
components can be found in previous studies by Ghenai et al. [15-16].

Fig. 1. Grid-tied solar PV/Fuel Cell hybrid power system

3. Building AC Load, Renewable Resources, and Hybrid Power System Components and Specifications
3.1. Building AC Load
The University of Sharjah administration building is used as a case study for the proposed study. The Building is
18 years old and has a total area of approximately 14,092 m 2. The building consists of four floors (ground floor plus
three levels). The AC load is specified by the energy (MWh) consumption of the building. An energy audit has been
performed at selected building at the University. The results of the energy audit showed that the energy consumption
of the administration building at the University of Sharjah is 80% from the air conditioning system, 10% lighting
and 10% for other equipment. The University of Sharjah is located in Sharjah city in the United Arab Emirates. This
is a desert region where the air conditioning system is running most of the time during the year. The energy
consumption is mainly related to the cooling of the building. The annual average energy consumption per day of this
building is about 6,540 kWh based on the results of the energy audit. In addition to the monthly energy profile, the
daily average profile is needed for the hourly simulation of the performance of the hybrid system.

3.2. Solar Resources

The annual average solar radiation in Sharjah is 8.30 kWh/m2/day. The solar radiation is available throughout the
year, therefore considerable amount of solar power output can be generated using solar PV to serve the load of the
building.
3.3. Hybrid Power System Components and Sizing
The hybrid grid-tied power system is composed of utility grid (grid purchase: 0.12 $/kWh – actual cost of
 Chouki Ghenai et al. / Energy Procedia 159 (2019) 96–103 99
4 Chaouki Ghenai/ Energy Procedia 00 (2018) 000–000

electricity from Sharjah Electricity and Water Utility SEWA in Sharjah, and grid sellback at a rate of 0.06 $/kWh),
solar flat PV system, fuel cell, electrolyzer, hydrogen fuel tank, converter (DC/AC inverter), and controller. A
description of the selected parts for the hybrid power system is summarized in Table 1. The efficiencies of the fuel
cell (70%) and electrolyzer (90%) selected for this study are high. The PEM electrolysis has an electrical efficiency
of about 80% in working application. The high efficiency of the electrolyzer is due mainly to the use of the
hydrogen higher heating value (HHV) for the calculation of the electrical efficiency. It is also assumed that the
waste of heat generated is redirected through the system to create the steam, resulting in a higher overall electrical
efficiency (second generation of PEM elctrolyzer using waste heat recovery can reach 87% electrical efficiency-
RWE-Westnetz system). The efficiency of the PEM fuel cell with direct hydrogen can reach an efficiency of 60%.
With the recent advances on PEM fuel cell controls and new materials for the catalysts, higher efficiencies (70%)
can be obtained. For the economic analysis, the capital cost of the solar PV includes the cost of the solar PV panels,
mounting system and the installation. The O&M cost includes the cost of cleaning the solar PV panels from the dust
in Sharjah. The cost of the fuel cell, electrolyzer and inverter are the average cost of these items available in the
market.

4.0 Results

The hybrid power system was designed to meet the energy demand of the commercial building that consumes
6,540 kWh/day. Thousands of hourly simulation and optimization runs were performed to calculate the energy to and
from each component. The optimized results based on the lowest cost of energy (LCOE) of the hybrid power system
were obtained using the optimization search space. The simulation and optimization methodology [15-16] is based on
the microgrid power system model selected in this study. Based on the selected design configuration (Solar PV, fuel
cell, and utility grid), search space (maximum power capacity off each component) and the daily power load
requirement for the building, the simulation is performed for each hour of the year to investigate the technical
feasibility and life cycle cost. In the optimization process, simulation of different configurations (single component
such as solar PV only or combination of two or more components such as solar PV/fuel cell) is carried out to find the
most appropriate system configuration that satisfies the technical constraints and the lowest life cycle cost. Based on
this simulation and optimization methodology, four configurations (System 1, System 2, System 3 and System 4)
exhibiting the lowest cost of energy are described: first configuration (System 1) uses only grid (baseline system), the
second configuration GT120 (System 2) uses grid + 120 kW capacity solar PV+ 100 kW capacity fuel cell, the third
one GT250 (System 3) uses grid + 250 kW capacity solar PV + 100 kW capacity fuel cell, and the fourth
configuration GT 500 (System 4) uses grid + 500 kW capacity solar PV+ 100 kW capacity fuel. Table 2 shows a
summary of the solar PV, fuel cell and inverter capacities for the grid-tied hybrid power systems.
Figure 2 shows the energy production from solar PV and fuel cell, the energy purchased from the grid utility, the
sell back of electricity to the grid from the excess power, and the energy consumed by the primary load for the grid
only and the grid-tied solar PV/Fuel Cell power systems. It is noted that based on the results of the simulations and
the technical constraint (lowest cost of energy), all the three grid-tied solar PV/Fuel cell systems use the cycle
charging control strategies for the power generation (the generator or fuel cell will run at maximum capacity to meet
the AC primary load and the excess power is used for the power input of the electrolyzer or to charge the battery if
used). For the baseline system or grid only (system 1), all the energy purchased from the grid is used to serve the
primary AC load. For the GT120 system (System 2), the total electrical production from the grid-tied hybrid power
system (system 2) is 2,508,541 kWh/year with 1,369,294 kWh/year purchased from the grid (55%), 875,208
kWh/year from the fuel cell (35%), and 263,039 kWh/year form the solar PV system (10%). The power generated
from the grid-tied power system (system 2) meets all the building AC primary load of 2,387,100 kWh/year with
74,490 kWh/year are the sellback of electricity to the grid (3%) from the excess power. For the GT250 power system
(system 3), the total electrical production from the grid-tied hybrid power system (system 3) is 2,526,309 kWh/year
with 1,105,552 kWh/year purchased from the grid (44%), 872,758 kWh/year from the fuel cell (35%), and 547,998
kWh/year form the solar PV system (22%). The power generated from the grid-tied power system (system 3) meets
all the building AC primary load of 2,387,100 kWh/year with 81,985 kWh/year are the sellback of electricity to the
grid (3%) from the excess power. For the GT500 power system (system 4), the total electrical production from the
grid-tied hybrid power system (system 4) is 2,596,380 kWh/year with 677,170 kWh/year purchased from the grid
(26%), 823,213 kWh/year from the fuel cell (32%), and 1,095,996 kWh/year form the solar PV system (42%). The
100 Chouki Ghenai et al. / Energy Procedia 159 (2019) 96–103
Chaouki Ghenai/ Energy Procedia 00 (2018) 000–000 5

power generated from the grid-tied power system (system 4) meets all the building AC primary load of 2,387,100
kWh/year with 132,090 kWh/year are the sellback of electricity to the grid which represents 5% of the total
production as shown in Fig. 2.
It noted that the GT120 (120 kW solar PV capacity), GT250 (250 kW solar PV capacity) and GT500 (500 kW
solar PV capacity) grid-tied solar PV/fuel cell hybrid power systems have a mean power output from the PV array of
30 kW, 63 kW and 125 kW respectively. This represents a capacity factor of 25 % with 4345 hours of operation of
solar PV per year for the three grid-tied solar PV/fuel cell power systems. The fuel cell power capacity for the three
system architectures is 100 kW. The mean power output of the fuel cell is 100 kW with specific fuel consumption of
0.04 kg/kWh and mean electrical efficiency of 68%. The inverter power capacities for the GT120, GT250, and
GT500 grid-tied solar PV/fuel cell power systems are respectively 193 kW, 295 kW and 477 kW (See Table 2). The
mean power outputs from the inverters for the GT120, GT250, and GT500 power systems are respectively 125 kW,
156 kW and 210 kW. This represents capacity factors of 65%, 53% and 44 % for the inverters of the GT120, GT250,
and GT500 power systems. The power losses due to power conversion from DC to AC power in the inverters is about
4% for the three power system architectures.
Figure 3 shows the daily performance of the GT500 grid-tied solar PV/fuel cell power system for 4 days (July 24
– July 27). The results show that during the day most the energy is produced from the PV system where the solar
irradiance is high and the rest is purchased from the grid. During the night most of the energy is produced from the
fuel cell and part of the energy is purchased from the grid. The GT500 grid tied solar PV/fuel cell power system
meets all the AC loads for the buildings with 5% of the power produced from the solar PV and fuel cell is sold back
to the grid to generate some income to reduce the cost of energy

Table 1. Hybrid power system components and specifications.

System Component Description

Solar PV Type: Canadian solar CS6U-330; module: polycrystalline; nominal maximum power = 330 W; efficiency =
16.97%; operating temperature 45oC; and derating factor fPV = 80%. Cost per 1 kW: capital = $1200;
replacement = $1200; O&M = $3/year, life time = 25 years.

Fuel Cell Type: PEM Fuel cell (DC power); fuel: hydrogen; and electrical efficiency FC = 70%. Cost per 1 kW: capital
= $400; replacement = $400; O&M = $0.01/hour, life time (hours) = 50,000.

Electrolyzer Type: generic electrolyzer (DC power), Efficiency EZ = 90%. Cost per 1 kW: capital = $100; replacement =
$100; O&M = $8/year, life time = 15years.

Hydrogen Tank Cost per 1 kg: capital = $0.5; O&M = $10/year, life time = 25years.

Converter: Type: Leonics S219CPH; voltage = 48 VDC with an efficiency = 96%

Inverter/Rectifier Cost per 1 kW: capital = $40; replacement = $40; O&M = $10/year, life time = 25years.

Table 2. Summary of the grid-tied solar PV/Fuel Cell power systems.

System Fuel Cell Inverter
Solar PV
Grid Capacity Capacity
Capacity (kW)
(kW) (kW)
Baseline - Grid only yes 0 0 0

GTPV120 yes 120 100 193

GTPV250 yes 250 100 295

GTPV500 yes 500 100 477

6 Chaouki Ghenai/ Energy Procedia 00 (2018) 000–000
Chouki Ghenai et al. / Energy Procedia 159 (2019) 96–103 101

Fuel Cell
GT500

GT250
PV
GT120
Grid Sellback Baseline - grid
only

Grid Purchases

AC Primary Load

0 20 40 60 80 100
[%]

Fig. 2. Annual performance of the grid-tied solar PV/Fuel Cell hybrid power systems.

Fig. 3. Daily performance of the grid-tied solar PV/Fuel Cell hybrid power systems
 Chaouki Ghenai/ Energy Procedia 00 (2018) 000–000 7
102 Chouki Ghenai et al. / Energy Procedia 159 (2019) 96–103

Table 3 summarizes the performance of the three grid-tied solar PV/fuel cell power systems with respect to the
renewable fraction, cost of energy and CO2 emissions reductions. The GT125, GT250and GT 500 grid-tied solar
PV/fuel cell offers respectively renewable fractions of 8.8%, 19.9% and 40.4 % respectively. It is shown from these
results that the GT500 power system (system 4) with Solar PV capacity of 500 kW and Fuel Cell capacity of 100
kW integrated with the grid offers the best option with respect to the cost of energy (71 $/MWh), renewable fraction
(40.4%) and the CO2 emissions (133 kg CO2/MWh). The system will meet all the energy demand for the building
with 5% of the total electricity production sold back to the grid. It is noted that the grid-tied solar PV/Fuel Cell
power system offers no shortage of electricity and the life cos of energy is much better than the off-grid solar
PV/Fuel power system .
Table 4 shows a summary of annualized costs of the grid-tied solar PV/Fuel Cell hybrid power system. This
includes the capital, operation and maintenance, fuel, replacement, and total costs for the grid-tied solar PV/Fuel cell
power systems.

Table 3. Summary of the renewable fractions, life cycle cost of energy, and CO2 Emissions for the grid-tied solar PV/Fuel
Cell power systems
System Renewable fraction (%) Cost of energy ($/MWh) CO2 emissions (kg/MWh)
Baseline - grid only 0 120 632

GTPV120 8.8 93 326

GTPV250 19.9 86 256

GTPV500 40.4 71 133

Table 4. Summary of the annualized costs of the grid-tied solar PV/Fuel Cell power systems
System Capital ($) O&M ($) Fuel ($) Replacement ($) Total ($)
Baseline – grid only 0 286,452 0 0 286,452

GTPV120 14,868 171,029 38,509 5,861 229,804

GTPV250 27,256 140,335 38,401 5,855 211,375

GTPV500 51,020 88,017 36,221 5,633 180,250

5.0 Conclusions

The design and analysis of optimized grid-tied solar PV/fuel cell hybrid power system to meet the electric loads
of a commercial Building (Administration Building at the University of Sharjah) is presented in this paper. The
building AC primary loads were determined from the building energy audit. The renewable resources in Sharjah, the
renewable energy technology options, the system component costs, and the constraints were determined. An
integrated modelling, simulation, optimization, and control strategies was used to test the performance and the cost
of the proposed grid-tied hybrid solar PV/fuel cell power system. The effect of the solar PV power capacity on the
performance (renewable fraction, cost of energy and greenhouse gas emissions) of the grid-tied solar PV system was
investigated. The results show that the solar grid-tied solar PV/Fuel Cell grid power system meets the daily and
yearly electrical demand of the building with some of the excess power (from the solar PV and fuel cell) sold back to
the grid. The grid-tied solar PV/fuel cell hybrid power system offers a good penetration of renewable resources
(40.4% renewable fraction), low levelized cost of energy (71 $/MWh), and low carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions
(133 kg CO2/MWh). The integration of renewable power systems with the utility grid is one of the best strategy and
 Chouki Ghenai et al. / Energy Procedia 159 (2019) 96–103 103
8 Chaouki Ghenai/ Energy Procedia 00 (2018) 000–000

efficient method to increase the penetration of renewable energy in the energy mix with affordable cost of energy,
reduce the reliance on fossil fuels and reduce the environmental impacts (greenhouse gas emissions reductions).

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the University of Sharjah for the financial support - Sustainable Energy
Development Research Group Operational Grant, Grant Ref. V.C.R.G./R. 1329/2017.

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