Solar-PV & Fuel Cell Based Hybrid Power Solution for Remote Locations
Manish Kumar Singla1, Parag Nijhawan2, Amandeep Singh Oberoi3
1Manish Kumar Singla, PhD Scholar, EIE Department, Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala, India.
2Dr. Parag Nijhawan, Associate Professor, EIE Department, Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala, India.
3Dr. Amandeep Singh Oberoi, Assistant Professor, ME Department, Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala, India.
Manuscript received on September 20, 2019. | Revised Manuscript received on October 15, 2019. | Manuscript published on October 30, 2019. | PP: 861-867 | Volume-9 Issue-1, October 2019 | Retrieval Number: A9393109119/2019©BEIESP | DOI: 10.35940/ijeat.A9393.109119
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© The Authors. Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering and Sciences Publication (BEIESP). This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Abstract: Inherently variable nature of renewable sources of energy such as solar and wind, are incapable of meeting continuous supply demand. Combining solar photovoltaic (PV) and fuel cell could offer a feasible solution to the challenge of continuous power supply, particularly in those geographical locations where renewable resources are available in abundance. The present paper investigates a solar PV and fuel cell-based hybrid system in-context to a selected site in Indian sub continent. The feasibility of harnessing renewable energy per sq. meter of land (i.e. energy density) from a combined solar PV-fuel cell based hybrid system employed in Jodhpur location in Rajasthan is reported. The solar irradiance data for the last three decades corresponding to the longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates of Jodhpur is collected using PV syst software. A novel design of PV-fuel cell hybrid system is proposed to gauge the enhanced utilization of the existing space, productivity enhancement, and energy m2 harnessed from the utilized land. The obtained results of solar irradiance are analyzed for implementation in combination with a modified unitized regenerative fuel cell (URFC). The proposed system would outlay a path for the development of a more sustainable, effective and rugged hybrid renewable energy systems that could furnish the energy demands of the Indian sub-continent and similar geographical locations.
Keywords: Solar energy, Solar irradiance, fuel cell, Renewable energy harnessing, Proton flow battery.