Testing and analysis of a fuel cell based stand-alone power system for residential use

Abstract

Nowadays, there are residential buildings which cannot be connected to a distribution network, due to the lack of electric infrastructure. Also, there are other electric applications where it is necessary to have a back-up system, i.e. hospitals, hotels, etc. Additionally, there are users who just want to be off-grid. In all these cases, a dedicated stand-alone generation system can provide a valuable service. In this context, this paper is focused on testing and analysis of a real small stand-alone generation system composed by two proton membrane exchange fuel cells (PEMFC) and a micro wind generator (WG). The key feature of this configuration is to be an on-site zero-emission system. Additionally, quality of supply and energy efficiency of this microgrid in islanded mode are analyzed. Furthermore, possible optimization methods and future enlargements of the system are proposed, in order to improve the overall efficiency of the proposed microgrid.