Performance Evaluation of Renewable Energy Systems: Photovoltaic, Wind Turbine, Battery Bank, and Hydrogen Storage

Abstract

The analysis aims to determine the most efficient and cost-effective way of providing power to a remote site. The two primary sources of power being considered are photovoltaics and small wind turbines, while the two potential storage media are a battery bank and a hydrogen storage fuel cell system. Subsequently, the hydrogen is stored within a reservoir and employed as required by the fuel cell. This strategy offers a solution for retaining surplus power generated during peak production phases, subsequently utilizing it during periods when the renewable power sources are generating less power. To evaluate the performance of the hydrogen storage system, the analysis included a sensitivity analysis of the wind speed and the cost of the hydrogen subsystem. In this analysis, the capital and replacement costs of the electrolyzer and hydrogen storage tank were linked to the fuel cell capital cost. As the fuel cell cost decreases, the cost of the electrolyzer and hydrogen tank also decreases. The optimal system type graph showed that the hydrogen subsystem must significantly decrease in price to become competitive with the battery bank.