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Compact and efficient power converter solutions are seen to be the backbone of future transportation systems in order to cope with the ongoing transition toward greener systems. Such systems usually comprise a main load section, in which one or more propulsion or traction motors are connected, in addition to an auxiliary load, which might comprise the hotels and air conditioning for example. This auxiliary load can be as low as 5-10% of the main load power. Therefore, it can be challenging to drive this power from a typical high-power system that employs a medium-voltage (MV) dc (MVDC) grid, which is typical in high-power systems. In such MVDC-integrated systems, neutral-point-clamped and active neutral-point-clamped (ANPC) converters are commonly used, where the auxiliary load converter is overrated in this case, resulting in a bulky and inefficient power system. Thus, in order to enable a lighter and efficient transportation power system, a multiport hybrid converter (MHC) is presented in this article. This converter can feed the main MV motor, in addition to two auxiliary low-voltage loads. Compared with the state-of-the-art ANPC converter, the proposed MHC utilizes only two extra switches per phase leg in order to achieve this multiport operation along with increasing the voltage rating of another two switches. The proposed MHC is analyzed in this article, where its operation, modulation, and mathematical derivation are presented. These analyses are supported by simulation and experimental results utilizing a reduced-scale 5-kW system.

This work represents the development of a Fuel Cell Hybrid Electric Vehicle (FCHEV) model, its validation, and the comparison of different control strategies based on the Toyota Mirai (1st generation) vehicle and its subsystems. The main investigated parameters are hydrogen consumption, and the variation of the state of charge, current, and voltage of the battery. The FCHEV model, which is made up of multiple subsystems, is developed and simulated in MATLAB® Simulink environment using a rule-based control strategy derived from the real system. The results of the model were validated using the experimental data obtained from the open-source Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) database. In the second part, the equivalent consumption minimization strategy is implemented into the controller logic to optimize the existing control strategy and investigate the difference in hydrogen consumption. It was found that the ECMS control strategy outperforms the rule-based one in all drive cycles by 0.4–15.6%. On the other hand, when compared to the real controller, ECMS performs worse for certain considered driving cycles and outperforms others.

Highly filled conductive polymer composites (CPCs) are widely used in applications such as bipolar plate materials for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells and redox flow batteries, electromagnetic interference shielding and sensors due to their useful electrical properties. A common method for determining through-plane electrical conductivities $\left(\sigma_{\rm tp} \right)$ of such highly filled CPCs applies a conductive carbon paper between electrodes and sample with application of external pressure to improve electrical contact. We show the pressure-dependence of the measured $\sigma_{\rm tp}$ can be eliminated by using a liquid metal such as the gallium-indium eutectic alloy (EGaIn) as contact material. Results indicate that EGaIn reduces contact resistances and cause three to five times larger $\sigma_{\rm tp}$ compared to measurements with carbon paper contacts and pressures up to 20 bar.

This paper presents an overview of the most relevant fuel cell types and identifies the most promising options for application in propulsion systems for commercial electrified aviation. The general design, operating principles and main characteristics of polymer electrolyte membrane, alkaline, direct methanol, phosphoric acid, molten carbonate and solid oxide fuel cells are described. Evaluation criteria are derived from aviation-specific requirements for the application of fuel cells in electrified aircraft. Based on these criteria, the presented fuel cell types are evaluated by means of a weighted point rating. The results of this evaluation reveal the high potential for application of solid oxide, low-temperature and high-temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. Design challenges of all fuel cell types are being emphasised, for instance, concerning cold start, cooling and supply of pressurised air.

This study provides a step-by-step, up-to-date fuel cell fundamentals, thermodynamic and electrochemical principles, and system evaluation factors via a case study of a 10-kW alkaline fuel cell designed to operate in space applications. The system also produces 100 kg of pure water and 5.5 kW of heat. The system is modelled using MATLAB and ANSYS Fluent. Then, the model is verified with theoretical and experimental results from the literature. A parametric study of various design and operating parameters, and material selection is carried out to optimize the overall performance. A net output voltage of 0.8 V is obtained at 150 mAcm-2 current density, which yields an overall efficiency of 75%. The results indicate that increasing the electrolyte thickness or operating temperature results in a lower net voltage output. Additionally, improving the performance of a fuel cell through the bipolar plate can be achieved by understanding the contribution of different parameters towards minimizing the pressure drop across the bipolar plate. It is found that implementing an optimized selection of fluid flow rate, channel width, channel depth, number of channels and current density minimize the pressure drop throughout the bipolar plate. Relative humidity has a significant effect on the pressure drop. Results indicate that increasing the relative humidity consequentially rises the pressure drop. Finally, the CFD simulation illustrates that the end-zones in the bipolar plate accumulates fluid due to the nature of stagnation at those locations. Thus, total pressure at those locations is the highest. One of the major contributions here is studying the effect of KOH concentration on the performance of the AFC at different operating temperatures. In addition, a wide range of design and operating parameters were analysed to understand their effect on the overall performance of the fuel cell.

Electricity storage technologies in buildings are evolving, mainly to reduce their environmental impact and to improve self-sufficiency of buildings that produce their own energy through Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) installations. To maximize self-consumption - minimizing the import of grid electricity - photovoltaic (PV) systems can be coupled with a hydrogen storage system converting the electricity to hydrogen by electrolysis during the summer season - when the on-site production is higher - and employing it during the winter season with fuel cells. This study focuses on the sizing constraints of solar hydrogen systems at building-scale using an innovative research-centre that will be built in Fribourg (Switzerland). It presents four stories and a mix-usage (office spaces and research facilities areas) and multi-oriented PV installation in order to produce enough electricity to achieve at least 50 % of electricity self-sufficiency ratio. Using the PV production, this study aims to optimise the sizing of a hydrogen storage system allowing to reach the required self-sufficiency ratio with the lowest environmental impact possible. Ultimately, the global energy and financial efficiency of the system will be analysed.

High-resolution nano X-ray computed tomography (nano-XCT) was used to investigate the process of infiltration of a Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell (MCFC) matrix by liquid electrolyte. A ceramic matrix made of a LiAl 2O3 powder was infiltrated by a liquid electrolyte during the start-up process of the MCFC. Nano-XCT extends the state-of-the art techniques for characterizing the morphology of the ceramic matrix and for the study of the penetration kinetics with electrolyte. Quantitative morphology analysis using high-resolution nano-XCT provides 3D information for each MCFC component nondestructively. The spatially resolved volume fraction of the molten electrolyte calculated from the 3D XCT data is used for simulation and to improve MCFC performance. Based on the results obtained, a new start-up procedure is proposed for a single MCFC. This procedure is consistent with the morphology changes which occur during the melting process inside the ceramic matrix.

Hydrogen, especially the green hydrogen based on water electrolysis, is of great importance to build a sustainable society due to its high-energy-density, zero-carbon-emission features, and wide-range applications. Today's water electrolysis is usually carried out in either low-temperature (700 degrees C) applications, e.g., solid oxide electrolyzer. However, the low-temperature devices usually suffer from high applied voltages (usually >1.5 V @0.01 A cm(-2)) and high cost; meanwhile, the high-temperature ones have an unsatisfied lifetime partially due to the incompatibility among components. Reasonably, an intermediate-temperature device, namely, proton ceramic cell (PCC), has been recently proposed. The widely-used air electrode for PCC is based on double O2-/e(-) conductor or composited O2-/e(-) -H+ conductor, limiting the accessible reaction region. Herein, we designed a single-phase La0.8Sr0.2Co1-xMnxO3-delta (LSCM) with triple H+/O2-/e(-) conductivity as the air electrode for PCCs. Specifically, the La0.8Sr0.2Co0.8Mn0.2O3-delta (LSCM8282) incorporates 5.8% proton carriers in molar fraction at 400 degrees C, indicating superior proton conducting ability. Impressively, a high current density of 1580 mA cm(-2) for hydrogen production (water electrolysis) is achieved at 1.3 V and 650 degrees C, surpassing most low- and high-temperature devices reported so far. Meanwhile, such a PCC can also be operated under a reversible fuel cell mode, with a peak power density of 521 mW cm(-2) at 650 degrees C. By correlating the electrochemical performances with the hydrated proton concentration of single-phase triple conducting air electrodes in this work and our previous work, a principle for rational design of high-performance PCCs is proposed. (C) 2022 The Chinese Ceramic Society. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.

This article designs a high-efficiency electric propulsion system for industrial trucks, such as dumper trucks. This design proposes using an alternative energy storage system of green H2 hydrogen to reduce emissions. This design determines the propulsion systems' technical and power requirements, starting with each vehicle's driving and duty cycles. For this analysis, a longitudinal dynamic model is created, with which the behavior of the energy conversion chain of the propulsion system is established. The evolutionary methodology analyzes the dynamic forces of vehicle interaction to size the propulsion system's components and the storage system. Using green H2 as fuel allows an energy yield three times higher than diesel. In addition, using this green hydrogen prevents the emission of 264,172 kg of CO₂, which the dumper emits when consuming 1,000 daily gallons of diesel within its working day.

This paper presents a physics-based mathematical model for a fuel cell hybrid vehicle system. The performance design of fuel cell hybrid electric vehicles (FCHEVs) is an area of interest in transportation applications. FCHEV is a combination of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), with a battery and associated DC/DC and DC/AC converters. Suitable batteries are used in FCHEV acts as a backup system with efficient energy management. The battery is designed for fast power transfer during transient response and constant performance without hydrogen. The power management schemes discussed are consistent with the most common modern power management techniques used in fuel cell vehicle applications, including: the state engine control strategies, rule-based fuzzy logic strategies, classical proportional integral control strategies, frequency fuzzy logic decoupling/control minimization strategies. Therefore, we tested and evaluated the reliability of the model using the MATLAB/Simulink environment, with mixed results.

Hydrogen is a versatile energy carrier which can be produced from variety offeedstocks, stored and transported in various forms for multi-functional end-uses in transportation, energy and manufacturing sectors. Several regional, national and supra-national climate policy frameworks emphasize the need, value and importance of Fuel cell and Hydrogen (FCH) technologies for deep and sector-widedecarbonization. Despite these multi-faceted advantages, familiar and proven FCH technologies such asalkaline electrolysisand proton-exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) often face economic, technical andsocietal barriersto mass-market adoption. There is no single, unified, standardized, and globally harmonized normative definition of costs. Nevertheless, the discussion and debates surrounding plausible candidates and/or constituents integral for assessing the economics and value proposition of status-quo as well as developmental FCH technologies are steadily increasing—Life Cycle Costing (LCC) being one of them, if not the most important outcome of such exercises. To that end, this review article seeks to improve our collective understanding of LCC of FCH technologies by scrutinizing close to a few hundred publications drawn from representative databases—SCOPUS and Web of Science encompassing several tens of technologies for production and select transportation, storage and end-user utilization cases. This comprehensive review forms part of and serves as the basis for the Clean Hydrogen Partnership funded SH2E project, whose ultimate goal is the methodical development a formal set of principles and guardrails for evaluating the economic, environmental and social impacts of FCH technologies. Additionally, the SH2E projects will also facilitate the proper comparison of different FCH technologies whilst reconciling range of technologies, methodologies, modelling assumptions, and parameterization found in existing literature.

Present-day fuel cells for combined heat and power (CHP), even when fuelled with natural gas, are a promising technology in residential and commercial sectors because of their efficiency and carbon benefits. Using micro-cogeneration devices in fuel cell technologies could play a significant role in reducing harmful emissions into the environment in the building sector at a national level. This paper presents different technological solutions for fuel cells in the building sector, and reviews their applications and their technical characteristics. These characteristics are the basis for their comparison with competitive low-carbon technologies. In addition, a common benchmark for comparison of different technologies through appropriate methodology is described, considering how these devices work when they are connected to an electric power system, while using real data of comparable devices. This paper presents evidence and methods required for comparison of fuel cells with conventional systems for production of heat and electricity, as well as for competing with low-carbon technologies. A common way to compare fuel cell directly to heat pumps is developed, primarily through calculation of the equivalent coefficient of energy efficiency. The intensity of carbon emissions from electricity production is calculated using replacement methods, and a logical extension for calculating the intensity of carbon emissions from production of thermal energy for comparison to heat pumps is proposed.

To reduce the adverse effects of global warming, there is an international drive towards the rapid decarbonisation of the aviation and maritime sectors. Simultaneously, there is an opportunity for the maritime sector to assist with the decarbonation of the wider global energy system via the supply of low-carbon energy. There is potential to transport such energy from regions where natural renewable and low-carbon energy resources are in abundance to where they are scarce. In this thesis, utilisation of electricity grid derived liquid hydrogen (LH2) fuel for these purposes is investigated. Particular focus is dedicated to: (1) the geographical, situational and design niches for which the use of LH2 is favourable within aviation and shipping; (2) the ability of LH2 to power the global aviation and shipping fleets and the modifications required to accommodate the fuel; (3) the identification of technologies that are likely to significantly effect decarbonisation efforts; and (4) the influence of weather induced boil-off on LH2 ship design. Methods such as energy systems analysis, thermodynamic concepts and numerical methods (e.g., Monte Carlo simulations) are utilised to construct models of LH2 fuelled aircraft and ships. These models are applied to various scenarios to analyse the performance of LH2 from a component, vehicle, network and global energy systems perspective. Models of a single-fuel LH2 and a dual-fuel LH2- liquefied natural gas (LNG) aircraft are constructed from data on an existing Boeing 787-8. The aircraft are modelled to operate towards 2050, in which time: (1) LH2 technologies develop, (2) both the World-average and region-specific electricity grids used to produce the hydrogen are assumed to decarbonise and (3) the International Air Transportation Association emissions targets tighten and so aircraft emissions decrease accordingly. The model identifies certain niches within the 2050 aviation sector where use of LH2 is beneficial. Single-fuel LH2 aircraft can only travel further than LNG fuelled aircraft in North America, accounting for 17% of the global demand. However, under stricter emissions constraints, LH2 can also outperform LNG aircraft in Europe and Latin America which accounts for an additional 24% of the demand. These superior ranges are achieved at a reduced passenger number and an increased energy consumption. The use of the dual-fuel aircraft in place of single-fuel aircraft in all three of these regions leads to improved range, passenger number and energy consumption. The LH2 aircraft models based on the Boeing 787-8 are expanded to utilise a dataset of multiple, differently sized existing aircraft. The models are combined with an estimation of the global aviation passenger-range demand to represent a 2050 aircraft fleet that is fuelled by LH2. This process indicates that, to meet the global aviation demand in 2050 using LH2 fuel: (1) 1.76 times the internal volume of the largest existing fossil fuel aircraft is required to meet the maximum range, (2) different passenger and range combinations are required and (3) low-carbon energy is demanded in regions where such energy is scarce. Therefore, a combination of aircraft design, network and energy system changes are imperative. A Monte Carlo simulation is conducted to assess the uncertainty of the LH2 aircraft models and their sensitivity to the projected development of LH2 technologies. The analysis indicates that there is a 95% probability that the single-fuel LH2 fuelled Boeing 787-8 that employs electric propulsion and utilises World-average electricity in 2050 travels within - 44% and + 49% of the range predicted by the unperturbed model. The ability of LH2 aircraft to fill specific niches within the aviation industry and the design, network and energy system changes required to accommodate such aircraft are thus highly uncertain. Of all the technological parameters, the LH2 aircraft that employ electric propulsion are the most sensitive to the efficiency of the fuel cells and the ones that do not (e.g., the dual-fuel aircraft) are the most sensitive to the efficiency of electrolysis. It is thus recommended that fuel cells and electrolysers are the focus of future research and development. This will not only further the development of LH2 aircraft but will also further the development of transport systems with similar well-to-end-use pathways (e.g., LH2 fuelled ships). The First Law of Thermodynamics, ship motion equations and data on an existing LNG carrier are utilised to predict weather induced boil-off in an LH2 ship tank at different ship velocities, weather conditions and ship design configurations. It is found that weather induced boil-off heavily influences the design and operation of LH2 ships, so its estimation is essential for successful design. Firstly, the use of real time routing is essential to avoid significant boil-off at high Beaufort Number as, relative to LNG, LH2 boil-off is twice as sensitive to adverse weather conditions. Secondly, significant tank and ship redesign is required to accommodate LH2. The presence of a reliquefaction unit is essential: without it, 8 times the thickness of insulation is required relative to an LNG ship in calm weather. To deliver the same energy, an LH2 ship that is 1.7 times the volume of the existing LNG ship is required. Using this model of boil-off and low-carbon technology projections towards 2050, an energy systems model is constructed to compare grid derived LH2 with liquid ammonia (LNH3) for use in freight and low-carbon energy transportation. The analysis shows that, in terms of limiting well-to-end-use carbon dioxide emissions, LH2 is favourable for use in energy transportation and LNH3 is favourable for use in freight. The maritime transportation of LH2 can thus provide a means of conveying low-carbon energy to regions where such energy is in low supply. Among many other end-uses, the LH2 can thus be used directly as fuel for aviation or can be converted to LNH3 for maritime freight. However, the high energy demand of LH2 production means this process is reliant on a high availability of low-carbon energy at the source. Hence, the role of LH2 in both aviation and shipping is dependent on a complex interaction with the wider global energy system.

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are considered one of the viable solutions to the decarbonization of the transport sector. However, their performance and durability are yet to be competitive with internal engine vehicles due to the complex interaction of electrochemical and physical phenomena in PEMFCs. The electrochemical and physical phenomena that occurred in PEMFCs, including the polarization curves, profiles of the reactant and product species, velocities of species, as well as temperature distribution, could be described by coupling the reaction kinetics with the transport processes of mass, momentum, energy, and charge. In this chapter, the fundamentals and operating principles of PEMFCs are explained along with the governing equations that describe various electrochemical and multi-physics transport processes in PEMFCs.

When studying electrochemical systems, EIS practitioners face the challenge of choosing a relevant equivalent electrical circuit to analyze their measurement data and interpreting the role of its components. In this review, we take a closer look at the use of equivalent electrical circuits (EEC) across various application domains. We aim to aid EIS practitioners in determining and evaluating their EEC-based data analysis methodology in light of recent progress from all EIS application domains. We review EEC usage and its interpretation while additionally providing software to automatically search for equivalent electrical circuits from the relevant application domain literature that fit EIS measurements supplied by users. Finally, we make a comparison of the impedimetric behaviour and circuit modelling approaches of a range of different electrochemical systems and discuss some complementary EIS data analysis strategies.

Using UV-curing technique the proton conductive polymer materials based on acrylic monomers: 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid (AMPS), acrylic acid (AA) and acrylonitrile (AN), cross-linked by varying amounts of N,N'-methylene(bis)acrylamide (MBA), and the hybrid polymer/inorganic membrane of the same content with addition of sol-gel system (SGS) based on 3-methacryloxypropyl trimethoxysilane (MAPTMS) and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) were synthesized. The obtained materials were characterized by analysis of thermal, mechanical and morphological properties. Proton conductivity and water uptake were found to depend on the level of cross-linking of the materials. The value of proton conductivity of the hybrid membrane was sufficiently high reaching 3.46 × 10-2 S cm-1.

In this paper, the problem concerned is to find the optimum values of the seven uncertain parameters ξ1, ξ2, ξ3, ξ4, λ, Rc, and β of the semi-empirical equation that defines the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) polarization (I/V) relationship using a recent optimization technique, the marine predator algorithm (MPA). The main target of this study is to obtain a very precise PEMFC steady state model. The MPA mimics the different random movements of marine predators when foraging and is believed to always converge to a stable value. Three popular stacks namely the Ballard Mark 5 kW, BCS stack 500 W, and Temasek 1 kW are investigated and efficiently modeled. Numerical results show the high accuracy of the MPA-based model when compared with other recently published optimization techniques.

With the current progress in solid oxide cell (SOC) technology towards commercial products, better durability is vital. Continuous advancements in technology and material discovery demand the understanding of underlying degradation mechanisms. It remains a challenge to experimentally assess the lifetime using conventional mapping by long-term testing.In this work, a statistical approach based on machine learning was utilized for assessing the lifetime of SOCs. An in-house SOC dataset consisting of about 2135 tests under different test conditions over the past ca. 20 years with different cell materials was used as the basis for a novel database. Degradation parameters were defined using values obtained from impedance analysis at open-circuit voltage before (and after) durability testing and parameters recorded during the durability tests. To apply machine learning approaches, data visualization was first carried out, followed by correlation analysis between the different input parameters. Machine learning approaches such as single and multivariable linear regression were applied. Such a study on a diverse dataset would enable an inclusive lifetime prediction for wider datasets, independent of changes in testing environments as well as for various cell operation modes.

The life cycle cost, environmental, and energy performances of gas turbine (GT) hybridization with two high-temperature fuel cells, solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC), were investigated in detail. The purpose of the present study is to assess the feasibility of the hybridization based on a throughout comparative investigation between 10-MW GT, MCFC-GT, and SOFC-GT systems in their optimum conditions. A model for SOFC, MCFC, and combustion processes was developed using the Gibbs minimization method through Lagrange multipliers. This model calculates unreformed methane during the methane reforming process occurring within the fuel cells. In addition, it calculates pollutant gases emission rates caused by combustion (i.e. NO, NO2, CO2). The economic analysis of the systems was based on the life cycle-costing P1-P2 method which considers fuel and investment costs. The Genetic algorithm was utilized for single- and multi-objective optimization purposes in different cases. Also, a comprehensive sensitivity analysis was conducted to compare the three systems in their optimum conditions to guarantee results obtained from the optimization scenario. The findings revealed that the SOFC was the best candidate for the GT system hybridization. This hybridization reduced the system investment and fuel costs, and CO2 and NO emissions in the fixed power conditions. The maximum energy efficiency of the GT, MCFC-GT, and SOFC-GT systems was obtained to be 43.8%, 53.8%, and 70.3%, respectively. The minimum values for the CO2 emission of the stand-alone GT, the hybrid MCFC-GT, and the hybrid SOFC-GT systems were 460.8 kg/MWh, 367.9 kg/MWh, and 280.4 kg/MWh, besides NO emission was calculated 13.9 kg/MWh, 1.3 kg/MWh, and 1.2 kg/MWh, respectively. The least life cycle cost of the stand-alone GT, the hybrid MCFC-GT, and the hybrid SOFC-GT systems was 163.6, 160.7, and 106 million dollars, respectively.

Energy management is a critical issue for the economical and optimum operation of grid integrated renewable energy systems. In conventional grid integrated systems, the control methods are operated according to the design criteria for grid connection modes and cause surplus energy for low-loading conditions under grid-failure situations. For this purpose, in this paper, a flexible control strategy is improved basis on perturb & observe MPPT, and it is purposed to improve the system efficiency under grid-connection and grid-failure modes of renewable energy systems. In this way, it is aimed to ensure optimized power delivering capability with optimum load voltages/currents at desired values, and it also prevents overloading under grid-failure mode. To show the proposed method's validity, the algorithm of control method is embedded in a function block and performed for grid connection & grid-failure modes under different load conditions. The performance results show that the flexible control strategy prevents surplus energy under the grid-failure mode and reduces the power losses compared to the conventional method. Also, the proposed method increases the load-side power quality. The results show that THD values are significantly reduced to fewer than the conventional perturb & observe method. (c) 2021 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A techno-economic study has been proposed for an off-grid combined renewable energy system (HRES) by photovoltaic (PV) and fuel cell (FC) systems. The proposed HRES has been studied to provide electricity for a remote area in Jiaju Tibetan Village, Danba, Sichuan Province China The main idea is formulated according to the Total Annual Cost (TAC). The study uses a new improved metaheuristic, called Amended Water Strider Algorithm (AWSA) to optimal estimation of the photovoltaic panels’ number, electrolyzer, fuel cells, and hydrogen storage tanks to get the minimum value of the overall net present value (ONPV). For increasing the system efficiency, the loss of power supply probability (LPSP) has been considered. Sensitivity analysis is used on the changing of the proposed HRES according to Levelized cost of energy (LCOE). Also, a comparison of the algorithm with several techniques from the literature is performed to illustrate its effectiveness. The results showed that the proposed method has further proper results than the other algorithms.

A hybrid system is the most suitable option for supplying the network demand in a renewable resource power plant. In this paper, a hybrid system of fuel cell-wind turbine was assessed based on energy. For a country region with a sustainable wind speed, the system was studied, and its benefits and limitations were evaluated. In this work, based on regional wind data, the specifications of the elements were determined, and a model was simulated, which can assess the power production of a power plant. In the case study region, Kohak Qazvin, by applying the model, wind turbine capacity increased about 2%, and wind turbines and fuel cells contributed 39% and 61% in demand supplying, respectively. Some undesirable environmental effects of renewable energy were evaluated in this paper, including changes in regional ecosystem, thermal pollution production, chemical pollution, and biological pollution due to the use of fuel cell systems and digestive power plants. This paper investigates the environmental effects of using a hybrid wind turbine system, electrolysis system, solid oxide fuel cell and gasifier. The results showed that the hybrid system reduced 34.62% of carbon dioxide production, compared to the single system. Also the price of the electrical energy produced by the wind farm was 20.6 cent/kWh but by applying the hybrid system, the cost reduced to 15.47 cent/kWh.

Drones have important uses such as relief, photography, military purposes. However, designing an efficient propulsion system for the drone that can ensure its reliability and flight endurance is a major challenge. Relying on an all-electric propulsion system can enhance flight endurance and improve drone performance. In this article, two types of fuel cells, proton-exchange membrane fuel cell and solid oxide fuel cell have been considered (individually) to supply the power consumption of the drone. In addition, a battery is embedded in parallel with the fuel cell in the propulsion system. To evaluate the performance of the drone, two constraint and mission analyzes have been established to determine the power consumption of the drone during various flight modes and weight distribution of the drone. Then a comparison on the drone’s performance with respect to the electrochemical behavior of both fuel cells is provided. Finally, the performance of fuel cells in propulsion system based on the International Standard Atmosphere model is discussed. Results revealed that the solid oxide fuel cell and proton-exchange membrane fuel cell can generate 82.1 and 162.7 W of electrical power respectively. In addition, drone needs about 1.46 kW of electrical power. The flight endurance and total weight of the drone are equal to 6.8 h and 6.3 kg, respectively. It was also found that the required area of the solid oxide fuel cell is approximately 98% less than the proton-exchange membrane fuel cell to provide the total electricity consumption of the drone. Furthermore, the effect of increasing cruise speed on drone’s net weight is more remarkable compared to power consumption.

The unsustainable and continuous growth of anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) has pushed governments, private companies and stakeholders to adopt measures and policies to fight against climate change. Within this framework, increasing the contribution of renewable energy sources (RES) to final consumed energy plays a key role in the planned energy transition. Regarding the residential sector in Europe, 92% of GHG emissions comes from 75% of the building stock that is over 25 years old, and highly inefficient. Thus, this sector must raise RES penetration from the current 36% to 77% by 2050 to comply with emissions targets. In this regard, the hybridization of hydrogen-based technologies and RES represents a reliable and versatile solution to facilitate decarbonization of the residential sector. This study provides an overview and analysis of standalone renewable hydrogen-based systems (RHS) focusing on the residential and buildings sector, as well as critical infrastructures like telecom stations, data servers, etc. For detailed evaluation of RHS, several pilot plants and real demonstration plants implemented worldwide are reviewed. To this end, a techno-economic assessment of relevant parameters like self-sufficiency ratio, levelized cost of energy and hydrogen roundtrip efficiency is provided. Moreover, the performance of the different configurations is evaluated by comparing the installed power of each component and their energy contribution to cover the load over a defined period of time. Challenges ahead are identified for the wider deployment of RHS in the residential and buildings sector. This research is supported by the project ENERGY PUSH SOE3/P3/ E0865, which is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERPF) in the framework of the INTERREG SUDOE Programme and the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities (project RTI2018-093310-B-I00)

This study introduces a step-by-step, summarized overview of direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) fundamentals, thermodynamic–electrochemical principles, and system evaluation factors. In addition, a parametric investigation of a JENNY 600S DMFC is conducted to simulate cell performance behavior under varying operating conditions. The system is mathematically modeled and solved in MATLAB and accounts for multi-irreversibilities such as the activation and ohmic and concentration overpotentials. The performance of the modeled system was validated against theoretical and experimental results from the literature. The results indicated that increasing the fuel cell’s operating temperature yields enhanced output cell voltages due to enhanced methanol oxidation reactions. Nevertheless, the maximum efficiency limits of the fuel cell tend to decrease with an increase in temperature. In addition, the model has also depicted that enhanced output cell voltages are associated with increased oxygen consumption, resulting in the lower exit flowrates of the reactants.

Nonplatinum metal (NPM) catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) have been developed; however, NPM catalysts still need to be improved in terms of both their catalytic activity and durability. To overcome these problems, an Fe active site contained within a more compact ligand than conventional, porphyrinic, 16-membered ring ligands, or more specifically, a hexaaza macrocyclic ligand with a 14-membered ring (14MR), was developed. In this study, the durability of the Fe-14MR complex was compared to that of Fe phthalocyanine (FePc), which has a 16-membered ring ligand, using in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy; demetalation of the Fe complexes was directly observed during electrochemical experiments performed under acidic ORR conditions. It was found that Fe-14MR is significantly more resistant to demetalation than FePc during the ORR.

This paper discusses the efficiency of two power electronic converters connected in cascade in aim to generate the maximum power from the fuel cell and regulate the load voltage under different working conditions and load variations. The first converter is an interleaved boost proposed to minimize the fuel cell voltage ripples and determine the optimum duty cycle to generate the maximum of power. Thereafter, the control of this converter is performed through a Maximum Power Point Tracking approach. To meet the load requirements in terms of voltage regulation, a buck boost converter controlled with a Proportional Integral controller is proposed. This configuration allows generating the optimal power and regulating the load voltage at the same time. The both converters are simulated under Matlab-Simulink to validate the robustness and the efficiency of this new design. Obtained results show the robustness of the new design approach and efficiency improvement of the system.

Platinum-based bimetallic alloys have been largely investigated during the last few years as a valid alternative to bare Pt cathode catalysts for proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) to improve their cost-efficiency. Nonetheless, Pt bimetallic alloys are characterized by a reduced stability, which is poorly understood at a fundamental level. It is thus essential to describe the entire chain of interconnected degradation mechanisms to formulate a comprehensive model of catalyst degradation that will help interpret bimetallic alloy behavior in real complex fuel cell systems. By combining in situ inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy, in situ grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering, and ex situ scanning electron microscopy, we have studied the morphological evolution of PtXNi100–X model catalysts with different Ni contents (ranging from 0 to 75%) undergoing potentiodynamic cycling to two different upper potentials mimicking the different operational conditions of a PEMFC: 1.0 and 1.3 VRHE. Data analysis allowed us to develop a methodology to distinguish the influence of Ni dissolution, particle coalescence, and Ostwald ripening on particle size distribution and interparticle distance and to realize time-dependent interplay maps to highlight the timeframe in which the aforementioned phenomena are prevailing or coexisting. Results show that Ni dissolution is the only phenomenon inducing morphological evolution when the lower upper potential is chosen. On the contrary, at 1.3 VRHE, Ni dissolution is rapidly overcome by particle coalescence at first and by Ostwald ripening in the later stages of the investigated time range. The onset of every phenomenon was found to occur earlier in time for larger values of Ni concentrations.

Novel cost‐effective fuel cells have become more attractive due to the demands for rare and expensive platinum‐group metal (PGM) catalysts for mitigating the sluggish kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The high‐cost PGM catalyst in fuel cells can be replaced by Earth‐abundant transition‐metal‐based catalysts, that is, an Fe–N–C catalyst, which is considered one of the most promising alternatives. However, the performance of the Fe–N–C catalyst is hindered by the low catalytic activity and poor stability, which is caused by insufficient active sites and the lack of optimization of the triple‐phase interface for mass transportation. Herein, a novel Fe–N–C catalyst consisting of mono‐dispersed hierarchically mesoporous carbon sphere cores and single Fe atom‐dispersed functional shells are presented. The synergistic effect between highly dispersed Fe‐active sites and well‐organized porous structures yields the combination of high ORR activity and high mass transfer performance. The half‐wave potential of the catalyst in 0.1 M H2SO4 is 0.82 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode, and the peak power density is 812 mW·cm−2 in H2–O2 fuel cells. Furthermore, it shows superior methanol tolerance, which is almost immune to methanol poisoning and generates up to 162 mW·cm−2 power density in direct methanol fuel cells.

Extending the operating range of fuel cells to higher current densities is limited by the ability of the cell to remove the water produced by the electrochemical reaction, avoiding flooding of the gas diffusion layers. It is therefore of great interest to understand the complex and dynamic mechanisms of water cluster formation in an operando fuel cell setting as this can elucidate necessary changes to the gas diffusion layer properties with the goal of minimizing the number, size, and instability of the water clusters formed. In this study, we investigate the cluster formation process using X-ray tomographic microscopy at 1 Hz frequency combined with interfacial curvature analysis and volume-of-fluid simulations to assess the pressure evolution in the water phase. This made it possible to observe the increase in capillary pressure when the advancing water front had to overcome a throat between two neighboring pores and the nuanced interactions of volume and pressure evolution during the droplet formation and its feeding path instability. A 2 kPa higher breakthrough pressure compared to static ex situ capillary pressure versus saturation evaluations was observed, which suggests a rethinking of the dynamic liquid water invasion process in polymer electrolyte fuel cell gas diffusion layers., ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 13 (29), ISSN:1944-8244, ISSN:1944-8252

The composition of the different fractions constituting a distillation plant for neutral ethanol production was analysed. Not only the fractions that are usually discarded from the plant (heads and fusel oils) were studied but also the ones that usually circulate within the plant, passing from one column to another, which are normally impossible to reach. It was thus possible to follow the path of each component inside the plant in order to observe where it accumulates and where is disposed of. The potential exploitation of these by-products and of the chemicals involved in the processing of neutral ethanol were taken into consideration and new approaches for their use, such as in fuel cell technology, were proposed.

Funding Information: This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) under the (grant # 11674085 and 51772080 ) and National Laboratory of solid-state Microstructures, Nanjing University for project support is also acknowledged. Dr. Asghar thanks the Hubei overseas Talent 100 program (as a distinguished professor at Hubei University) and Academy of Finland (Grant No. 13329016 and 13322738 ) for their support. Muhammad Akbar helped in the Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images assistance. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Author(s) Copyright: Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved. Introducing multiple-ionic transport through a semiconductor-electrolyte is a promising approach to realize the low-temperature operation of SOFCs. Herein, we designed and synthesized a single-phase Ce-doped BaCo0.2Fe0.3-xTm0.1Zr0.3Y0.1O3-δ semiconductor-electrolyte possessing triple-charge (H+/O2−/e−) conduction ability. Two different compositions are synthesized: BaCo0.2Fe0.3-xCexTm0.1Zr0.3Y0.1O3-δ [x = 0.1–0.2]. The 20% doped Ce composition exhibits an outstanding oxide-ion and protonic conductivity of 0.193 S cm−1 and 0.09 S cm−1 at 530 °C and the fuel cell utilizing BaCo0.2Fe0.2Ce0.2Tm0.1Zr0.3Y0.1O3-δ as an electrolyte yields an excellent power density of 873 mW cm−2 at 530 °C. Moreover, the fuel cell performed reasonably well (383 mW cm−2) even at a low temperature of 380 °C. Furthermore, the 10% Ce-doped utilized in fuel cell device illustrates lower performance (661 mW cm−2 at 530 °C and 260 mW cm−2 at 380 °C). Successful doping of Ce supports the formation of oxygen-vacancies at the B-site of perovskite and adjusting the ratio of Fe in the compositions. Moreover, the presence of Tm also assist in the creation of oxygen vacancies. Furthermore, the boosting of electrochemical performance and ionic conductivity of applied materials are enlightened by tuning the energy-band structure via employing the UPS and UV–Vis. The physical characterizations and verification of dual-ions (H+/O2−) in the semiconductor materials are performed via different electrochemical, spectroscopic, and microscopic techniques. A systematic study revealed triple charge conduction in this promising material, which helps in boosting the electrochemical performance of the LT-SOFC.

The use of mathematical modeling to predict and investigate the effect of process variables in the research and engineering field of energy conversion and energy storage has also received special attention from scientists and industrial designers in this field due to their importance in the global economy. This review article investigates the applications of mathematical modeling and simulation in energy conversion and energy storage processes, and finally, with a case study, the application of mathematical modeling in the desired processes to be tested and compared with the reported results in the papers. In the first part, the main emphasis is on energy conversion, especially on the structure of solar cells and fuel cells and mathematical modeling methods, and predicting the effect of operating variables on their performance. The basic principles of modeling solar cells and fuel cells to understand the relationships governing the current, voltage, performance, and power of PV modules are to be discussed. And with a case study, modeling of the process to estimate the performance of PV modules and SOFC in various conditions has been investigated. In the second part, the main focus is on the mathematical modeling of energy storage devices including batteries and supercapacitors. Supercapacitors and batteries are electrochemical energy storage devices that can be charged within a few seconds to a few minutes. This efficient energy storage is based on the electrocatalytic effect of the electrode with a high surface area. The mathematical equations governing the battery and supercapacitor are discussed in the article, and battery and supercapacitor performance are to be simulated as a case study. Due to the Multiphysics nature of energy conversion and storage systems, the simulation is performed in two stages. In the first step, the semiconductor equations are applied and the electrical response of the electrochemical device is modeled. In the second step, if needed, the thermal equations can be entered into the main calculations and the net amount of heat and the temperature profile in the desired device is evaluated. The main goals and ideas of compiling this review article are expressing the importance and role of electrochemical and electrocatalysts in energy production and storage processes and paying attention to the governing mechanism and mathematical equations and highlighting important and common models used in different parts of energy conversion and storage in a coherent article.

Perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) polymers such as Nafion are the most frequently used Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) in PEM fuel cells. Nafion XL is one of the most recently developed membranes designed to enhance performance by employing a mechanically reinforced layer in the architecture and a chemical stabilizer. The influence of the water and acid pre-treatment process on the physicochemical properties of Nafion XL membrane and Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA) was investigated. The obtained results indicate that the pre-treated membranes have higher water uptake and dimensional swelling ratios, i.e., higher hydrophilicity, while the untreated membrane demonstrated a higher ionic exchange capacity. Furthermore, the conductivity of the acid pre-treated Nafion XL membrane was ~ 9.7% higher compared to the untreated membrane. Additionally, the maximum power densities obtained at 80 °C using acid pre-treatment were ~ 0.8 and 0.93 W/cm2 for re-cast Nafion and Nafion XL, respectively. However, the maximum generated powers for untreated membranes at the same condition were 0.36 and 0.66 W/cm2 for re-cast Nafion and Nafion XL, respectively. The overall results indicated that the PEM’s pre-treatment process is essential to enhance performance.

The development of phosphorylated polybenzimidazoles (PBI) for high-temperature polymer–electrolyte membrane (HT-PEM) fuel cells is a challenge and can lead to a significant increase in the efficiency and long-term operability of fuel cells of this type. In this work, high molecular weight film-forming pre-polymers based on N1,N5-bis(3-methoxyphenyl)-1,2,4,5-benzenetetramine and [1,1′-biphenyl]-4,4′-dicarbonyl dichloride were obtained by polyamidation at room temperature for the first time. During thermal cyclization at 330–370 °C, such polyamides form N-methoxyphenyl substituted polybenzimidazoles for use as a proton-conducting membrane after doping by phosphoric acid for H2/air HT-PEM fuel cells. During operation in a membrane electrode assembly at 160–180 °C, PBI self-phosphorylation occurs due to the substitution of methoxy-groups. As a result, proton conductivity increases sharply, reaching 100 mS/cm. At the same time, the current-voltage characteristics of the fuel cell significantly exceed the power indicators of the commercial BASF Celtec® P1000 MEA. The achieved peak power is 680 mW/cm2 at 180 °C. The developed approach to the creation of effective self-phosphorylating PBI membranes can significantly reduce their cost and ensure the environmental friendliness of their production.

This article describes the creation of a program that would be useful for calculating mathematical models in order to estimate the weight of aircraft components. Using several parameters, it can calculate other parameters of civil transport aircraft powered by batteries or fuel cells. The main goals of this research were to add the missing dimensions and parameters to the aircraft database, create a simple but effective program for creating mathematical models, and use this program to find technological barriers to battery or hydrogen fuel-cell-powered aircraft concepts. The article introduces the reader to the problem of calculating OEW (operating empty weight) using Breguet–Leduc equations. A calculation model was created for OEW calculation. The result of this work is the verification of a mathematical model for battery-powered electric aircraft of the CS-23 (European Aviation Safety Agency Certification Specification for Normal, Utility, Aerobatic, and Commuter Category Aeroplanes) category by comparing the program’s outputs with real aircraft. Subsequently, the results of mathematical models are shown in graphs that specify the space of possible concepts of aircraft powered by batteries or fuel cells, sorted by the number of passengers and the range of the aircraft, delimited by two or three criteria, respectively.

The transportation sector is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. Electric vehicles (EVs) have gained popularity as a solution to reduce emissions, but the high load of charging stations poses a challenge to the power grid. Nuclear-Renewable Hybrid Energy Systems (N-RHES) present a promising alternative to support fast charging stations, reduce grid dependency, and decrease emissions. However, the intermittent problem of renewable energy sources (RESs) limits their application, and the synergies among different technologies have not been fully exploited. This paper proposes a predictive and adaptive control strategy to optimize the energy management of N-RHES for fast charging stations, considering the integration of nuclear, photovoltaics, and wind turbine energy with a hydrogen storage fuel cell system. The proposed dynamic model of a fast-charging station predicts electricity consumption behavior during charging processes, generating probabilistic forecasting of electricity consumption time-series profiling. Key performance indicators and sensitivity analyses illustrate the practicability of the suggested system, which offers a comprehensive solution to provide reliable, sustainable, and low-emission energy to fast-charging stations while reducing emissions and dependency on the power grid.

Currently, the issue of creating decarbonized energy systems in various spheres of life is acute. Therefore, for gas turbine power systems including hybrid power plants with fuel cells, it is relevant to transfer the existing engines to pure hydrogen or mixtures of hydrogen with natural gas. However, significant problems arise associated with the possibility of the appearance of flashback zones and acoustic instability of combustion, an increase in the temperature of the walls of the flame tubes, and an increase in the emission of nitrogen oxides, in some cases. This work is devoted to improving the efficiency of gas turbine power systems by combusting pure hydrogen and mixtures of natural gas with hydrogen. The organization of working processes in the premixed combustion chamber and the combustion chamber with a sequential injection of ecological and energy steam for the “Aquarius” type power plant is considered. The conducted studies of the basic aerodynamic and energy parameters of a gas turbine combustor working on hydrogen-containing gases are based on solving the equations of conservation and transfer in a multicomponent reacting system. A four-stage chemical scheme for the burning of a mixture of natural gas and hydrogen was used, which allows for the rational parameters of environmentally friendly fuel burning devices to be calculated. The premixed combustion chamber can only be recommended for operations on mixtures of natural gas with hydrogen, with a hydrogen content not exceeding 20% (by volume). An increase in the content of hydrogen leads to the appearance of flashback zones and fuel combustion inside the channels of the swirlers. For the combustion chamber of the combined-cycle power plant “Vodoley”, when operating on pure hydrogen, the formation of flame flashback zones does not occur.

To securely address energy shortage and various environmental issues attributed to fossil fuel, the adoption of renewable energy is growing across the globe. However, wind and solar which form the bulk of the emerging renewable energy for micro-grid applications are intermittent and need energy storage device for backup. Due to its environmentally friendly nature, the use of hydrogen as storage mechanism is now being explored for micro-grid applications. However, due to the various technical criteria attributed to various fuel cell (FC) technologies used for hydrogen production, selecting the most suitable alternative remains a challenge. This study uses evaluation based on distance from average solution, a multicriteria decision making tool to rank FC technologies that can be used to produce of hydrogen energy storage in micro-grid applications. The analysis was based on 4 FC technologies and 6 technical criteria. The results of the study show that the most preferred FC technology for micro-grid application is the polymeric electrolyte membrane while the least preferred is molten carbonate FC. It is expected that future analysis would explore the inclusion of socio-economic criteria in the evaluation of the most preferred FC technology for micro-grid application.

International audience; During the operation of proton-exchange membrane fuel cells, the membrane–electrode assemblies are submitted to hydration/dehydration cycles because of the changes in temperature and relative humidity. It is therefore essential to understand the effect of these conditions on the membranes’ mechanical properties and transport mechanism. Although multiblock aromatic ionomers are promising alternative materials to Nafion, the mechanical properties during hydration/dehydration and their effect on the proton transport mechanism in these materials are not well understood. In this work, the interplay between the humidity-induced mechanical behavior and the proton transport mechanism in multiblock aromatic ionomers was systematically studied, as compared with those of Nafion. The water vapor transport mechanism in terms of sorption and diffusion was first investigated by dynamical vapor sorption. Then, the impact of hydration and dehydration on the membrane mechanical properties was elucidated using a dynamic mechanical analysis device coupled with a temperature- and humidity-controlled chamber. An innovative understanding of these polymers could be proposed by comparing the kinetics of water clustering to the consequences on the elastic properties. A major outcome is the estimation of a relative amount of isolated and clustered water molecules.

There is a growing need to develop sustainable electrocatalysts to facilitate the reduction of molecular oxygen that occurs at the cathode in fuel cells, due to the excessive cost and limited availability of precious metal-based catalysts. This study reports the synthesis and characterization of phosphorus and nitrogen co-doped carbon (PNDC) and silicon, phosphorus, and nitrogen tri-doped carbon (SiPNDC) electrocatalysts derived from molasses. This robust microwave-assisted synthesis approach is used to develop a low cost and environmentally friendly carbon with high surface area for application in fuel cells. Co-doped PNDC as well as tri-doped SiPNDC showed Brunauer–Emmet–Teller (BET) surface areas of 437 and 426 m2 g−1, respectively, with well-developed porosity. However, examination of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) data revealed significant alteration in the doping elemental composition among both samples. The results obtained using rotating disk electrode (RDE) measurements show that tri-doped SiPNDC achieves much closer to a 4-electron process than co-doped PNDC. Detailed analysis of experimental results acquired from rotating ring disk electrode (RRDE) studies indicates that there is a negligible amount of peroxide formation during ORR, further confirming the direct-electron transfer pathway results obtained from RDE. Furthermore, SiPNDC shows stable oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance over 2500 cycles, making this material a promising electrocatalyst for fuel cell applications.

A cross‐laboratory study on microbial fuel cells (MFC) which involved different institutions around the world is presented. The study aims to assess the development of autochthone microbial pools enriched from domestic wastewater, cultivated in identical single‐chamber MFCs, operated in the same way, thereby approaching the idea of developing common standards for MFCs. The MFCs are inoculated with domestic wastewater in different geographic locations. The acclimation stage and, consequently, the startup time are longer or shorter depending on the inoculum, but all MFCs reach similar maximum power outputs (55±22 μW cm−2) and COD removal efficiencies (87±9 %), despite the diversity of the bacterial communities. It is inferred that the MFC performance starts when the syntrophic interaction of fermentative and electrogenic bacteria stabilizes under anaerobic conditions at the anode. The generated power is mostly limited by electrolytic conductivity, electrode overpotentials, and an unbalanced external resistance. The enriched microbial consortia, although composed of different bacterial groups, share similar functions both on the anode and the cathode of the different MFCs, resulting in similar electrochemical output., The famous five: A cross‐laboratory study involving five institutions is presented. Each team runs a triplicate identical single chamber microbial fuel cell for 6 weeks varying only the inoculum. Electrochemical and operational parameters are collected. Microbiological analysis is carried out on the influent and effluent and on the electrodes. All the data collected are correlated by using robust statistics.

There is an urgent need to provide cost-effective, clean, distributed electricity to ensure reliability for mobile network operators in Sub-Saharan Africa. A comprehensive semi-empirical MATLAB/Simulink model of a novel low-pressure, solid-hydrogen based energy storage system combined with Solar PV and battery energy storage including dynamic losses of the power conditioning equipment is built. Levenburg-Marquardt least square algorithm is used for semi-empirical parameterisation of the metal-hydride and fuel cell models, simulations are performed using experimentally obtained telecom tower load data. The results show the overall system efficiency of the energy system drop from 21.05% for a Solar/Battery system to 17.43% of the most cost-effective hybridised system, which consists of 16.2 kW Solar PV coupled to a 10kW/40 kWh Li-Ion battery, and a Regenerative Hydrogen Fuel Cell (consisting of a 10 kW PEM Electrolyser, 1,000 kWh Ti-based AB2 Solid-Hydrogen Storage Cell, and 5 kW PEM Fuel Cell). This system achieves a Levelised Cost of Electricity of 17.16 ¢/kWh compared to 73.40 ¢/kWh for a Diesel Genset, with a Net Present Value of $109,236 and an Internal Rate of Return of 15.15%.

Fuel cell power generation system is a potential renewable power source. To reduce hydrogen consumption and enhance the dynamic performance of the system, Grey–Markov chain power prediction energy management strategy for fuel cell power generation systems was proposed. Firstly, topology of the system is proposed, and mathematical model was established through mechanism analysis. Secondly, framework of power prediction of the system was presented, and Grey–Markov chain model was proposed to predict load power of the fuel cell power system, based on which energy management of the system was implemented. Finally, the proposed energy management strategy was compared with rule-based strategy by experiment. The results show that the proposed power prediction energy management strategy can accurately predict the load power in advance and reduce hydrogen consumption in the fuel cell power generation system.