Driven by the global energy context and environmental problems, fuel cell and hydrogen energy research activities have greatly intensified over the last thirty years. In parallel renewable sources of energy are being developed rapidly. However, the use of renewable energy sources creates the problem of intermittent power production.
To develop hydrogen gas as an energy carrier, we have to focus on the development of key technologies, adapted to niche markets which are already competitive. One such case is power for isolated locations where grid connections and supply of fuel are costly.
The EolHy Project aims to develop a solution for such a market. Wind and solar power are to be combined with hydrogen production, storage and a fuel cell in an autonomous system with a focus on the optimisation of the component integration and sizing. Excess energy is to be stored as hydrogen during periods of high production and then used when wind and sunlight are low.
The main challenge is to integrate the power sources and optimise their management with an automatic control system developed to make the entire system fully autonomous and the electricity supply uninterrupted. Another key issue to address a larger range of markets is the overall thermal management of the system.
The purpose of this study is to present our experience and feed back in the integration and assembly of such a system.