A photovoltaic-powered water electrolyzer - Its performance and economics

Abstract A prototype water electrolyzer designed to operate from a solar photovoltaic (PV) array without power conditioning was operated for three months at the Florida Solar Energy Center. A 1 kWpk PV array was used to operate the electrolyzer at internal gas pressure from 0 to 40 psig. Performance of the electrolyzer/PV array was measured and characterized in terms of charge efficiency and power efficiency calculated from the operating data. The economics of residential production of hydrogen for energy purposes were calculated and summarized. While the near-term outlook for this energy storage technique was not found to be favorable, the long-term outlook was encouraging.