Abstract:
Developing countries have abundant renewable energy resources including solar energy, wind power, geothermal energy, hydro energy and biomass. However, the biggest challenge is the need for energy storage systems, owing to the fact that energy from solar and wind are intermittent in nature. The purpose of this study is to model and simulate a stand-alone hybrid power system that utilizes a hydrogen fuel cell for energy storage. In this study, the energy profile was obtained from values of solar irradiance over Eldoret and wind speed data from Eldoret meteorological station. The combination of hydrogen storage using fuel cells may provide a solution for long term storage of solar PV and wind power. The average load for a small household during weekdays was found to be 14 kW. The system fuel cell capacity considered is 10 kW, but from HOMER optimization results, the fuel cell can be optimally sized at 20 kW. The results shows an annual PV output of 69, 170 kWh/yr while that wind power is 66.3 kWh/yr. Such a system when used for off-grid applications can provide energy solution to about one third of world’s population leaving in isolated regions and have no access to grid connected electricity. This system couples a photovoltaic (PV) generator, Wind turbine generator, an alkaline water electrolyzer, a storage gas tank and a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). The system is expected to provide an environmentally friendly energy solution to populations living in remote areas far from the national grid. It makes economic sense to adapt such a system in Kenya especially for rural electrification.
Key words: renewable energy, fuel cell, Photovoltaic, wind power, Kenya, Eldoret
