Hydrogen Production through a Solar Powered Electrolysis System

Abstract

Production of hydrogen from renewable energy sources is gaining recognition as one of the best energy solutions without ecological drawbacks. The present study reports hydrogen production through a solar powered electrolysis system as a means to curtail greenhouse gas emissions in the United Kingdom. The solar powered electrolysis unit is modeled to provide 58400 kg of hydrogen to run the fuel cell bus fleet in Lea interchange garage in London on a yearly basis. Experiments were conducted to determine the efficiency of the photovoltaic module and the proton exchange membrane electrolyzer. An energy balance of the electrolysis unit was calculated to give 47.82 kWh/kg and used to model a 2.98 MW photovoltaic system required to run the electrolysis process.