Hydrogen energy system analysis for residential applications in the southern region of Algeria

The purpose of this paper is related to hydrogen energy system analysis for residential applications in Ghardaia (southern region of Algeria). This system is based on proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) technology, which is supplied by fuel reforming process, for producing hydrogen fuel starting from natural gas. The exhaust heat is recovered by a Thermal Storage Tank (TST), which is used in an absorption sub-system as a generator for residential cooling system. The feasibility analysis of an absorption cooling device, using thermal energy of PEMFC sub-system, for a residence application located at the unit of applied research in renewable energy in Ghardaia has been studied and performances were analysed. Electrical and thermal powers generated by the PEMFC sub-system with variable electrical loads (Part Load Ratio) have been analysed. The feasibility study shows that using PEMFC for residential cooling in Ghardaia is a promising solution. It is shown that the temperature of the TST is sufficient to supply the absorption sub-system with a coefficient of performance equals to 0.72 and, the efficiency of the HES equals to 97%. Copyright (C) 2011, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.