The Application of a Fuel Cell-Electrolyzer Arrangement as a Power Balancing Set-up in Autonomous Renewable Energy Systems

Small-scale autonomous renewable energy systems have gained attention during the last years due to growing concerns in relation to an increasing world energy demand and to constraints in CO2 emissions. Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC), wind turbines and solar panels are promising zero-emission devices to be incorporated into these systems. In order to integrate them, appropriate control designs are necessary, among other aspects. This paper presents a configuration that allows a proper operation of the fuel cell while the system is able to handle the power fluctuations produced by the wind turbine and the load. An electrolyzer is used to take advantage of the power surplus. The system is designed to supply 10 households, but can be easily extended. The objective of this study is to evaluate the technical feasibility of implementing such a power balancing set-up in DENLab, a renewable energy laboratory at Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands.