PVT integrated hydrogen production with small-scale transcritical power cycle

Abstract

The objective of the present research is to examine the performance of an integrated hydrogen generation system based on solar power. The system is comprised of photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) panels, a transcritical Rankine cycle (tRC), and a hydrogen generation unit, namely proton exchange membrane electrolysis (PEME) process. Carbon dioxide (CO2), which is an environmentally friendly fluid, is used as the working fluid of tRC, where it is directly heated up in the PVT collector. To perform the performance assessment of the system, first, a dynamic simulation of the PVT is conducted based on data from August 17 of Izmir. After, energy and exergy analyses of the integrated system are carried out, followed by parametric analyses. According to the results, the maximum power obtained from the PVT is found to be 2.6 kW, the net energy generated from tRC is calculated as 0.8 kW, while the maximum H2 generation rate is 16 g/h.