Role of a Unitized Regenerative Fuel Cell in Remote Area Power Supply: A Review

Manish Kumar Singla, Jyoti Gupta, Parag Nijhawan, Amandeep Singh Oberoi, Mohammed H. Alsharif () and Abu Jahid ()
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Manish Kumar Singla: Department of Interdisciplinary Courses in Engineering, Chitkara University Institute of Engineering & Technology, Chitkara University, Rajpura 140401, India
Jyoti Gupta: Department of Computer Science, Shree Guru Gobind Singh Tricentenary University, Gurugram 122505, India
Parag Nijhawan: Electrical and Instrumentation Engineering Department, Thapar Institue of Engineering and Technology, Patiala 147004, India
Amandeep Singh Oberoi: Mechanical Engineering Department, Thapar Institue of Engineering and Technology, Patiala 147004, India
Mohammed H. Alsharif: Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Electronics and Information Engineering, Sejong University, 209 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05006, Republic of Korea
Abu Jahid: School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Ottawa, 25 Templeton St., Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 15, 1-21

Abstract: This manuscript presents a thorough review of unitized regenerative fuel cells (URFCs) and their importance in Remote Area Power Supply (RAPS). In RAPS systems that utilize solar and hydrogen power, which typically include photovoltaic modules, a proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer, hydrogen gas storage, and PEM fuel cells, the cost of these systems is currently higher compared to conventional RAPS systems that employ diesel generators or batteries. URFCs offer a potential solution to reduce the expenses of solar hydrogen renewable energy systems in RAPS by combining the functionalities of the electrolyzer and fuel cell into a single unit, thereby eliminating the need to purchase separate and costly electrolyzer and fuel cell units. URFCs are particularly well-suited for RAPS applications because the electrolyzer and fuel cell do not need to operate simultaneously. In electrolyzer mode, URFCs function similarly to stand-alone electrolyzers. However, in fuel cell mode, the performance of URFCs is inferior to that of stand-alone fuel cells. The presented review summarizes the past, present, and future of URFCs with details on the operating modes of URFCs, limitations and technical challenges, and applications. Solar hydrogen renewable energy applications in RAPS and challenges facing solar hydrogen renewable energy in the RAPS is discussed in detail.

Keywords: fuel cells; hydrogen energy; URFC; remote area power supply; hybrid systems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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