Hybrid energy fuel cell based system for household applications in a Mediterranean climate

Abstract

In this paper, a specific hybrid energy system was proposed for household applications. The hybrid energy system was assembled from a HT-PEM fuel cell stack supplied by hydrogen via a steam reformer, where finally the majority of produced electricity is used to drive a modified split heat pump system with heat recovery (that is enabled via standard modified accumulation boilers). The system is able to produce both high and low temperature heat output (in the form of hot water), cooling thermal output and electricity. Performance analysis was conducted and the specific hybrid energy system showed high value for overall energy efficiency, for the specific case examined it reached 250%. Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) analysis was also carried out and the proposed hybrid energy system’s cost is expected to be between 0.09€/kWh and 0.16€/kWh, which is certainly competitive with the current retail electricity price for households on the EU market. Additionally, the system also has environmental benefits in relation to reduced CO2 emissions, as estimated CO2 emissions from the proposed hybrid energy system are expected to be at around 9.0gCO2/kWh or 2.6 times less than the emissions released from the utilization of grid electricity.