DEVELOPMENT OF A PHOTOVOLTAIC ENERGY-CONVERSION SYSTEM WITH HYDROGEN ENERGY-STORAGE

This paper describes an ongoing project to develop an integrated solar-hydrogen energy production, storage and utilization system consisting of a photovoltaic array, SPE electrolysers, metal alloy hydride tanks, an SPE fuel cell and an automatic control system. The hydrogen production and storage portions of the system, described herein, have been completed, successfully tested and typical performance data presented for a test run which occupied 2 h on the afternoon of 2 November 1993, producing and storing 26.5 1 of hydrogen, for isolation ranging between 200 and 800 Wm(-2). A computer simulation, useful for sizing studies on systems of this type, was developed and a typical output from it is shown. The program code may be obtained from the references at the end of the paper.