Modified LMS Control for a Grid Interactive PV–Fuel Cell–Electrolyzer Hybrid System With Power Dispatch to the Grid

Abstract

The power flow from a grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) system is highly variable and creates complexities in the power scheduling for the utility. In this article, a grid-connected PV–fuel cell–electrolyzer hybrid system with a fixed power dispatch to the grid using a modified least mean square (LMS) algorithm is proposed. The modified LMS algorithm has been used to control the power flow to the grid besides controlling the power quality at the point of common coupling. Any variation in the PV power is balanced by power from the fuel cell by introducing a power management scheme. Furthermore, self-sufficiency in hydrogen supply for the fuel cell is achieved by using the excess PV production to power an electrolyzer to produce hydrogen from water. The sizing of sources and electrolyzer for a 38-kW commercial load and scheduled power dispatch to the grid has been done using a deterministic balance approach to achieve a carbon-neutral energy generation. The performances of the system during steady-state and transient conditions are verified by extensive simulation analysis with MATLAB Simpower system block set. Finally, experimental analysis using a hardware prototype is used to corroborate the simulation results.