The impact of climate condition on the optimal size of direct coupled photovoltaic-electrolyzer systems

Solar energy exists extensively in all parts of the world. However the intermittency of solar energy presents critical challenges to PV system. The intermittency can be covered by storing solar energy in chemical bonds such as hydrogen. This process can be performed by photovoltaic powered electrolysis of water. The energy transfer efficiency between PV and electrolyzer is subject to the distance between maximum power points (MPP) of PV module and operating points. The operating points can be adjusted by optimizing the design parameters of the electrolyzer but the maximum power points are function of PV module characteristics, solar radiation and ambient temperature. Therefore the weather condition can significantly affect the MPP and consequently the optimal size of the PV-Electrolyzer (PV/EL) system. In this paper the impact of climate condition on the optimal size and operating condition of a direct coupled photovoltaic-electrolyzer system has been studied. For this purpose the optimal size of electrolyzer for six cities of Iran which have different climate conditions is obtained and then the levelized costs of hydrogen production for these cities are compared. The results show that the climate conditions can strongly affect the size of the electrolyzer, the annual hydrogen production and consequently the levelized costs of hydrogen production.

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