A Stand-Alone Hybrid Photovoltaic, Fuel Cell and Battery System

Abstract

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the feasibility of using a hybrid photovoltaic (PV), fuel cell (FC) and battery system to power different load cases, which are intended to be used at Al-Zarqa governorate in Jordan. All aspects related to the potentials of solar energy in Al-Hashemeya area were studied. The irradiation levels were carefully identified and analyzed, and found to range between 4.1–7.6 kWh/m2/day; these values represented an excellent opportunity for the photovoltaic solar system. Various renewable and non-renewable energy sources, energy storage methods and their applicability regarding cost and performance are discussed, in which HOMER (Hybrid Optimization for Electric Renewable) software is used as a sizing and optimization tool. Different scenarios with Photovoltaic slope, diesel price, and fuel cell cost were done. A remote residential building, school and factory having an energy consumption of 31 kWh/day with a peak of 5.3 kW, 529 kWh/day with a maximum of 123 kW and 608 kWh/day with a maximum of 67 kW respectively, were considered as the case studies’ loads. It was found that the PV-diesel generator system with battery is the most suitable solution at present for the residential building case, while the PV-FC-diesel generator-electrolyzer hybrid system with battery suites best both the school and factory cases. The load profile for each case was found to have a substantial effect on how the system’s power produced a scheme. For the residential building, PV panels contributed by about 75% of the total power production, the contribution increased for the school case study to 96% and dropped for the factory case to almost 50%.