Comparative study of PV/PEM fuel cell hybrid energy system based on methanol and water electrolysis

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the comparative analysis of a solar-fuel cell hybrid system based on water and methanol electrolysis. The proposed system comprises PV, electrolyzer and proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). The hybrid system is designed to supply the hydrogen (H-2) needed of the PEMFC system and also to fulfill the H-2 requirement of other applications. The actual data of solar irradiation of Izmir, Turkey are used in the simulation. The methanol and water electrolyzers were designed for 1.2 kW PEMFC H-2 demand which were met a house-hold energy requirement. Analyzes show that the use of the methanol electrolyzer can produce 27% more H-2 than the water electrolyzer. According to the study, it was determined that the methanol-based hybrid system offered a viable option for self-sustaining in household application.