Optimal sizing of hybrid fuel cell-supercapacitor storage system for off-grid renewable applications

Doudou N. Luta and Atanda K. Raji

Energy, 2019, vol. 166, issue C, 530-540

Abstract: The deployment of off-grid renewable systems using variable energy sources like solar and wind as an alternative to the grid extension in remote areas with no access to electricity is becoming widespread. However, due to the fluctuating nature of power outputs from these generators and that of the loads, an off-grid renewable power system should include an energy storage facility. Various energy storage technologies exist in the market, yet, each of them considered individually has not proven to be technically and economically viable. Integrating two or more energy storage devices as a single entity increases the reliability and security of supply in an off-grid renewable power system. In this study, a hybrid energy storage combining a hydrogen fuel cell and a supercapacitor is simulated, the objective is to find the optimal size of a composite energy storage system for a commercial load supplied from photovoltaic panels. The suitable architecture is adopted based on its technical feasibility and cost effectiveness. Sensitivity analysis on the projected costs of hydrogen storage is carried out to evaluate the impact of the hydrogen cost on the cost of the system and the levelized cost of energy. The simulation is performed under Cape Town weather conditions using HOMER Pro.

Keywords: Energy storage; Hydrogen & fuel cell; Optimization; Renewable energy; Solar energy; Supercapacitor (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (39)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544218320607
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:166:y:2019:i:c:p:530-540

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2018.10.070

Access Statistics for this article

Energy is currently edited by Henrik Lund and Mark J. Kaiser

More articles in Energy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().