Modeling and Simulation for PEMFC/Solar Panel Hybrid Vehicle With Solar Water Electrolysis System

This Paper focuses on modeling and simulation to analyze the characteristic of PEMFC/solar panel hybrid vehicle and to evaluate algorithms for producing hydrogen by using PEMFC and solar panel. The system includes solar panel, water electrolysis, vehicle property, induction motor etc., and the fuel cell system is modeled with fuel cell irreversibility and dynamic response data obtained by the BCS Fuel Cell Inc.’s FC stack. In our model solar panel is used in parallel when a vehicle is driven to lower the electrical load of fuel cell stack. The solar panel is also modeled to be used to provide electricity to electrolysis system for hydrogen production. Matlab/Simulink package was used to evaluate and simulate the usefulness of the system in detail. According to the obtained simulation results, the extra power obtained from solar panel which has been explored in natural conditions of the Daejeon city, where the maximum value of solar radiation density in summer is equal to 900W/m², can help to produce hydrogen and obtain the high efficiency of PEMFC according to dynamic load change in city drive mode. But the vehicle consumes more hydrogen than production, so hydrogen tank is required and solar water electrolysis system can make the tank smaller. It has to be noticed that this work is not focused on the efficiency and drive performance but on the explanation of algorithm and evaluation of hybrid vehicle’s usefulness.