Hydrogen Production System Using Alkaline Water Electrolysis Adapting to Fast Fluctuating Photovoltaic Power

Abstract

Using photovoltaic (PV) energy to produce hydrogen through water electrolysis is an environmentally friendly approach that results in no contamination, making hydrogen a completely clean energy source. Alkaline water electrolysis (AWE) is an excellent method of hydrogen production due to its long service life, low cost, and high reliability. However, the fast fluctuations of photovoltaic power cannot integrate well with alkaline water electrolyzers. As a solution to the issues caused by the fluctuating power, a hydrogen production system comprising a photovoltaic array, a battery, and an alkaline electrolyzer, along with an electrical control strategy and energy management strategy is proposed. The energy management strategy takes into account the predicted PV power for the upcoming hour and determines the power flow accordingly. By analyzing the characteristics of PV panels and alkaline water electrolyzers and imposing the proposed strategy, this system offers an effective means of producing hydrogen while minimizing energy consumption and reducing damage to the electrolyzer. The proposed strategy has been validated under various scenarios through simulations. In addition, the system’s robustness was demonstrated by its ability to perform well despite inaccuracies in the predicted PV power.