Simulation of Dynamic Response of Small Wind-Photovoltaic-Fuel Cell Hybrid Energy System

Saeid Esmaeili, Mehdi Shafiee

Energy Department, International Center for Science, High Technology & Environmental Sciences, Kerman, Iran.

DOI: 10.4236/sgre.2012.33027                

Abstract

Renewable energy systems are of importance as being modular, nature-friendly and domestic. Among renewable energy systems, a great deal of research has been conducted especially on photovoltaic effect, wind energy and fuel cell in the recent years. This paper describes dynamic modeling and simulation results of a small wind-photovoltaic-fuel cell hybrid energy system. The hybrid system consists of a 500 W wind turbine, a photovoltaic, a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), ultracapacitors, an electrolyzer, a boost converter, controllers and a power converter that simulated using MATLAB solver. This kind of hybrid system is completely stand-alone, reliable and has high efficiency. In order to minimize sudden variations in voltage magnitude ultracapacitors are proposed. Power converter and inverter are used to produce ac output power. Dynamics of fuel-cell component such as double layer capacitance are also taken into account. Control scheme of fuel-cell flow controller and voltage regulators are based on PID controllers. Dynamic responses of the system for a step change in the electrical load and wind speed are presented. Results showed that the ability of the system in adapting itself to sudden changes and new conditions. Combination of PV and wind renewable sources is made the advantage of using this system in regions which have higher wind speeds in the seasons that suffers from less sunny days and vice versa.

Keywords

Wind Energy; Photovoltaic; Fuel-Cell; Hybrid Energy Systems; Dynamics of Energy System

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	B. S. Borowy and Z. M. Salameh, “Optimum Photovoltaic Array Size for a Hybrid Wind/PV System,” IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion, Vol. 9, No. 3, 1994, pp. 482-488. doi:10.1109/60.326466
[2]	B. S. Borowy and Z. M. Salameh, “Methodology for Optimally Sizing the Combination of a Battery Bank and PV Array in a Wind/PV Hybrid System,” IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion, Vol. 11, No. 2, 1996, pp. 367-374. doi:10.1109/60.507648
[3]	A. N. Celik, “Optimisation and Techno-Economic Analysis of Autonomous Photovoltaic-Wind hybrid Energy Systems in Comparison to Single Photovoltaic and Wind Systems,” Energy Conversion and Management, Vol. 43, No. 18, 2002, pp. 2453-2468. doi:10.1016/S0196-8904(01)00198-4
[4]	K. Agbossuo, R. Chahine, J. Hamelin, F. Laurencelle and J. Hamelin, “Renewable Energy Systems Based on Hydrogen for Remote Applications,” Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 96, No. 1, 2001, pp. 168-172. doi:10.1016/S0378-7753(01)00495-5
[5]	K. Agbossuo, J. Hamelin, A. Laperriere and F. Laurencelle, “Load Communication for Stand Alone Wind and PV Hydrogen Energy System,” Proceedings of Canadian Conference of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Vol. 1, 2000, pp. 555-558.
[6]	A. Sathyan, K. A. Kiszynski and S. AL-Hallaj, “Hybrid Wind/PV/Fuel Cell Generation System,” IEEE Conference on Vehicle Power and Propulsion, Chicago, 7-9 September 2005, pp. 495-500.
[7]	F. Iannone, S. Leva and D. Zaninelli, “Hybrid Photovoltaic and Hybrid Photovoltaic-Fuel Cell System: Economic and Environmental Analysis,” IEEE Power Engineering Society General Meeting, San Francisco, 12-16 June 2005, pp. 1503-1509.
[8]	T. F. El-Shatter, M. N. Eskander and M. El-Hagry, “Energy Flow and Management of a Hybrid Wind/PV/Fuel Cell Generation System,” Energy Conversion and Management, Vol. 47, No. 9-10, 2006, pp. 1264-1280. doi:10.1016/j.enconman.2005.06.022
[9]	D. Das, R. Esmaili, L. XU and D. Nichols, “An Optimal Design of a Grid Connected Hybrid Wind/Photovoltaic/Fuel Cell System for Distributed Energy Production,” 31st Annual Conference of IEEE Industrial Electronics Society, Raleigh, 6-10 November 2005, pp. 2499-2504.
[10]	D. B. Nelson, M. H. Nehrir and C. Wang, “Unit Sizing and Cost Analysis of Stand-Alone Hybrid Wind/PV/Fuel Cell Power Generation Systems,” Renewable Energy, Vol. 31, No. 10, 2006, pp. 1641-1656. doi:10.1016/j.renene.2005.08.031
[11]	A. D. Hansen, P. Sorensen, L. H. Hansen and H. Binder, “Models for a Stand-Alone PV System,” Riso National laboratory, Roskilde, 2000.
[12]	M. T. Iqbal, “Simulation of a Small Wind Fuel Cell Hybrid Energy System,” Renewable Energy, Vol. 28, No. 4, 2003, pp. 511-522.
[13]	M. J. Khan and M. T. Iqbal, “Dynamic Modeling and Simulation of a Small Wind-Fuel Cell Hybrid Energy System,” Renewable Energy, Vol. 30, No. 3, 2005, pp. 421-439.
[14]	M. R. Patel, “Wind and Solar Power Systems,” CRC Press, Boca Raton, 1999.
[15]	http://www.windenergy.com
[16]	R. S. Garcia and D. Weisser, “A Wind-Diesel System with Hydrogen Storage: Joint Optimization of Design and Dispatch,” Renewable Energy, Vol. 31, No. 14, 2006, pp. 2296-2320. doi:10.1016/j.renene.2005.11.003
[17]	J. C. Amphlett, R. M. Baumert, R. F. Mann, B. A. Peppley, P. R. Roberge and T. J. Harries, “Performance Modeling of the Ballard Mark IV Solid Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell,” Journal of the Electrochemical Society, Vol. 142, No. 1, 1995, pp. 9-15. doi:10.1149/1.2043959
[18]	R. F. Mann, J. C. Amphlett, M. Hooper, H. M. Jensen, B. A. Peppley and P. R. Roberge, “Development and Application of a Generalised Steady-State Electrochemical Model of a PEM Fuel Cell,” Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 86, No. 1-2, 2000, pp. 173-180. doi:10.1016/S0378-7753(99)00484-X
[19]	J. Larminie and A. Dicks, “Fuel Cell Systems Explained,” 2nd Edition, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 2001.
[20]	http://www.mathworks.com