Effect of partial shading conditions on off-grid solar PV/Hydrogen production in high solar energy index regions

In present work, the effect of partial shading on off-grid solar PV/hydrogen production in solar energy has been studied. The study was designed to stimulate future work in this area and to help demonstrate PV/hydrogen production. Four different electrodes in the study were coated and used in PV/Hydrogen Production. Pt anode and four different cathode materials which were Cu, Cu/Ni, Cu/NiBi and Cu/NiMo were used in the study. Data obtained from 105 W PV panel via automation system installed at ATU University, Adana, in Turkey were used for data of days representing different seasons by electrolysis experiment. The experiments were carried out between 08:00 and 16:00. The main contribution of this study is to produce hydrogen by using a part of the electrical energy gained from the solar panels, and at the same time to reveal the effect of the electrical energy produced by the partial shading of the panels on the hydrogen production. Furthermore, the effect of cathode material type was investigated for the impact of partial shading on hydrogen production. Results showed that Cu/NiMo has better hydrogen production efficiency than Cu/Ni, Cu/NiBi. The lowest efficiency was observed in the bare Cu electrode. (C) 2019 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.