Design, modelling and optimal power and
hydrogen management strategy of an off grid PV
system for hydrogen production using methanol
electrolysis
H. Tebibel
*
, A. Khellaf, S. Menia, I. Nouicer
Centre de d eveloppement des energies renouvelables (CDER), PB.62, route de l'Observatoire, Bouzar eah, 16340
Algiers, Algeria
article info
Article history:
Received 2 December 2016
Received in revised form
1 May 2017
Accepted 2 May 2017
Available online xxx
Keywords:
Photovoltaic system
Methanol electrolyser
Clean hydrogen production
Battery and hydrogen tank stat of
charge
Power and hydrogen management
strategy
abstract
Hydrogen used as an energy carrier and chemical element can be produced by several
processes such as gasification of coal and biomass, steam reforming of fossil fuel and
electrolysis of water. Each of these methods has its own advantage and disadvantage.
Electrolysis process is seen as the best option for quick hydrogen production. Hydrogen
generation by methanol electrolysis process (MEP) gained much attention since it gua-
rantees high purity gas and can be compatible with renewable energies. Furthermore, due
to its very low theoretical potential (0.02 V), MEP can save more than 65% of electrical
energy required to produce 1 kg of hydrogen compared to water electrolysis process (WEP).
Electrolytic hydrogen production using solar photovoltaic (PV) energy is positioned to
become as one of the preferred options due to the harmful environmental impacts of
widely used methane steam reforming process and also since the prices of PV modules are
more competitive.
In this paper, hydrogen production by MEP using PV energy is investigated. A design of
an off grid PV/battery/MethElec system is proposed. Mathematical models of each
component of the system are presented. Semi-empirical relationship between hydrogen
production rate and power consumption at 80
C and 4 M concentration is developed.
Optimal power and hydrogen management strategy (PHMS) is designed to achieve high
system efficiency and safe operation. Case studies are carried out on two tilts of PV array:
horizontal and tilted at 36
using measured meteorological data of solar irradiation and
ambient temperature of Algiers site. Simulation results reveal great opportunities of
hydrogen production using MEP compared to the WEP with 22.36 g/m
2
d and 24.38 g/m
2
d of
hydrogen when using system with horizontal and tilted PV array position, respectively.
© 2017 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
* Corresponding author. Fax: þ213 (0)23189056.
E-mail addresses: h.tebibel@cder.dz, tebibelhammou@gmail.com (H. Tebibel).
Available online at www.sciencedirect.com
ScienceDirect
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/he
international journal of hydrogen energy xxx (2017) 1 e18
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2017.05.010
0360-3199/© 2017 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Please cite this article in press as: Tebibel H, et al., Design, modelling and optimal power and hydrogen management strategy of an off
grid PV system for hydrogen production using methanol electrolysis, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy (2017), http://dx.doi.org/
10.1016/j.ijhydene.2017.05.010