Abstract
Integrated photovoltaic-fuel cell (IPVFC) systems, amongst other integrated energy generation methodologies are renewable and clean energy technologies that have received diverse research and development attentions over the last few decades due to their potential applications in a hydrogen economy. This article systematically updates the state-of-the-art of IPVFC systems and provides critical insights into the research and development gaps needed to be filled/addressed to advance these systems towards full commercialization. Design methodologies, renewable energy-based microgrid and off-grid applications, energy management strategies, optimizations and the prospects as self-sustaining power sources were covered. IPVFC systems could play an important role in the upcoming hydrogen economy since they depend on solar hydrogen which has almost zero emissions during operation. Highlighted herein are the advances as well as the technical challenges to be surmounted to realize numerous potential applications of IPVFC systems in unmanned aerial vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, agricultural applications, telecommunications, desalination, synthesis of ammonia, boats, buildings, and distributed microgrid applications.
Highlights
Accepted: 8 October 2021Globally, there is an increasing emphasis on the decarbonization of economies and a quicker transition from the use of fossil fuels to renewable energy resources to mitigate the unravelling risks posed by the anthropogenic interferences on the climatic systems from the inception of the first industrial revolution
Renewable energy technologies (RETs) that use solar energy as a prime mover will continue to attract research and development attention because they can be deployed across the globe
This study presents a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art of integrated photovoltaic-fuel cell (IPVFC) systems including different categories of generation methodologies, design configurations, feasibility and demonstration studies, optimisation, energy management strategies, et cetera
Summary
There is an increasing emphasis on the decarbonization of economies and a quicker transition from the use of fossil fuels to renewable energy resources to mitigate the unravelling risks posed by the anthropogenic interferences on the climatic systems from the inception of the first industrial revolution. Renewable energy technologies (RETs) that use solar energy as a prime mover will continue to attract research and development attention because they can be deployed across the globe. One of such RETs is integrated photovoltaic-fuel cell (IPVFC) system, which uses photovoltaics and fuel cells to majorly generate power and hydrogen, using solar energy as the prime mover. In 1988, Rahman and Tam [1] investigated the feasibility of grid-connected and standalone applications of IPVFC systems and reported that their prototype, which was tested in the United States and Japan, could create new possibilities of combining photovoltaic (PV)
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