Experimental investigation on the electrical and hydrogen-production performance of a novel PEM electrolyzer driven by CdTe PV with a tracking system

Abstract

Addressing the challenges of intermittent and variable energy supply, solar hydrogen production via electrolysis has garnered significant attention due to its unique advantages, emerging as a hot topic in the scientific research domain. However, the application of this technology is currently mainly related to the non-tracking system, which undergoes a rapid change in solar irradiation during the day. To expand the matching relationship of solar irradiation, PV characteristics, and electrolyzer, this paper proposes the development of a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyzer driven by Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) photovoltaic (PV) modules with a tracking system for hydrogen production. An experimental platform was set up in Chengdu and the performance tests were carried out for different operating modes during summer. The experimental results demonstrate that the average electrical and hydrogen production efficiencies of the system are 13.11% and 7.88%, respectively, on a sunny day, with a total of 566.7 L of hydrogen produced within 7 h of operation. Furthermore, the solar irradiation received by the tracking surface of the system is significantly enhanced by 10.29% in comparison to the horizontal surface. On a cloudy day with an electrolyzer inlet water temperature of 45 °C, the system has the potential to achieve a hydrogen production efficiency of 11.15 %. At a constant current density of 1.0 A/cm2, the efficiency of the electrolysis process increased by 2.07% and 1.25% for each 10 °C increase in the temperature of the electrolyzer, having an inlet temperature of 35 °C. This study offers a novel approach for a PV-PEM system with a higher hydrogen production efficiency while also establishing a robust foundation for technology optimization and broader implementation.