A Predictive Approach to Optimize a HHO Generator Coupled with Solar PV as a Standalone System

Osama Majeed Butt, Tareq Saeed, Hassan Elahi, Usman Masud, Usman Ghafoor, Hang Seng Che, Nasrudin Abd Rahim and Muhammad Shakeel Ahmad
Additional contact information
Osama Majeed Butt: Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE), UM Power Energy Dedicated Advanced Centre (UM-PEDAC), University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 59990, Malaysia
Tareq Saeed: Nonlinear Analysis and Applied Mathematics (NAAM)-Research Group, Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80203, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
Hassan Elahi: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Usman Masud: Department of Electronics Engineering, University of Engineering and Technology, Taxila 47050, Pakistan
Usman Ghafoor: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Space Technology, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
Hang Seng Che: Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE), UM Power Energy Dedicated Advanced Centre (UM-PEDAC), University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 59990, Malaysia
Nasrudin Abd Rahim: Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE), UM Power Energy Dedicated Advanced Centre (UM-PEDAC), University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 59990, Malaysia
Muhammad Shakeel Ahmad: Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE), UM Power Energy Dedicated Advanced Centre (UM-PEDAC), University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 59990, Malaysia

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 21, 1-16

Abstract: Production of hydrogen by means of renewable energy sources is a way to eliminate dependency of the system on the electric grid. This study is based on a technique involving coupling of an oxyhydrogen (HHO) electrolyzer with solar PV to produce clean HHO gas as a fuel. One of objectives of this study was to develop a strategy to make the electrolyzer independent of other energy sources and work as a standalone system based on solar PV only. A DC-DC buck convertor is used with an algorithm that can track the maximum power and can be fed to the electrolyzer by PV while addressing its intermittency. The electrolyzer is considered to be an electrical load that is connected to solar PV by means of a DC-DC convertor. An algorithm is designed for this DC-DC convertor that allows maximization and control of power transferred from solar PV to the electrolyzer to produce the maximum HHO gas. This convertor is also responsible for operating the electrolyzer in its optimum operating region to avoid overheating. The DC-DC converter has been tested under simulated indoor conditions and uncontrolled outdoor conditions. Analysis of this DC-DC convertor based on maximum power tracking algorithm showed 94% efficiency.

Keywords: electrolyzer; solar PV; convertor; HHO (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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