Design and modelling a stand alone power system for residential purposes utilizing fule cells and photovoltaic panels

Increasing energy demand and environmental problems are forcing researchers and scientists for new forms of renewable energy sources. Solar power, wind power, fuel cells, tidal power and geothermal power are among the renewable energy sources that attract the most attention. A stand alone power system to supply the necessary energy for an average house is investigated in this thesis. The system uses photovoltaic power as the primary source of energy, stores the extra energy in electrochemical batteries as well as in hydrogen, burns the hydrogen when needed in a fuel cell to generate electricity again. First, components of this system were determined based on the power and energy demands. Then each component was modeled and the complete system model was obtained. Finally, a control algorithm was developed and tested for various operating conditions. Simulation results show the system can be used to supply energy for houses. Key Words : Fuel cell, stand alone energy, photovoltaic cell