Integration of Fuel Cell Technologies in Renewable-Energy-Based Microgrids Optimizing Operational Costs and Durability

In this paper, a Model Predictive Control (MPC) approach is proposed to manage a grid-tied hydrogen microgrid (μG) . The μG testbed is equipped with a 1-kW polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolyzer and a 1.5-kW PEM fuel cell as main equipment. In particular, we present a formulation that inclu...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Valverde Isorna, Luis, Bordons Alba, Carlos, Rosa Iglesias, Manuel Felipe
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión enviada para evaluación y publicación
Fecha de publicación:2016
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Sevilla (US)
Repositorio:idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla
OAI Identifier:oai:idus.us.es:11441/116529
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/11441/116529
https://doi.org/10.1109/TIE.2015.2465355
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Energy storage
Fuel cell
Hydrogen
Microgrid
Model predictive control
Power management
Renewable
Descripción
Sumario:In this paper, a Model Predictive Control (MPC) approach is proposed to manage a grid-tied hydrogen microgrid (μG) . The μG testbed is equipped with a 1-kW polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolyzer and a 1.5-kW PEM fuel cell as main equipment. In particular, we present a formulation that includes the cost of the electricity exported/imported, the aging of the components, and the operational constraints. The control objective is to satisfy user demand, as well as extend the lifespan of expensive equipment, as is the case of the fuel cell or the electrolyzer. μG performance is investigated under realistic scenarios in three experiments. The experimental results illustrate how the proposed control system is able to manage the fuel cell and the electrolyzer through smooth power references, as well as to satisfy the power demanded. Finally, benchmarking is carried out between hysteresis band (HB) control and the proposed MPC in regard to efficiency and cost of the operation. The results obtained show that the MPC approach is more effective than HB for this type of μG , with a reduction in operation cost of up to 30%.