Comparative performance analysis of a hybrid PV/FC/battery stand-alone system using different power management strategies and sizing approaches

Since fossil fuels will be depleted and their environmental effects are becoming a major concern, renewable energy sources (RES) are taking the lead in providing humans energy needs. Among them, solar energy is much more convenient since it is more available. In order to provide energy needs for a stand-alone electrical user, a hybrid system consisting of photovoltaic panels (PV), battery storage and fuel cells (FC) has been used in this paper. There are many ways to design a power management strategy for dispatching energy between the energy source, the energy storage and the electrical load. Three different power management strategies (PMS) have been proposed in this paper and three different sizing methods have been used as well. Performance analysis has been undertaken using TRNSYS software, and battery state of charge and hydrogen tank pressure is monitored. Finally the best combination of a power management strategy and sizing method has been outlined. Copyright (C) 2014, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.