ISSN: 1693-6930
TELKOMNIKA Vol. 14, No. 2, June 2016 : 411 – 422
414 H2 storage, fuel cells, inverter DC-AC and electrolyzer for H2 production as shown in Figure 4.
The whole system has been designed using HOMER as shown in Figure 5. Furthermore, several component prices for this study are obtained from previously published papers [13, 14].
Figure 4. The configuration of a PVFC hybrid power generation system
Figure 5. The configuration of a PVFC hybrid power generation system in HOMER software
5.1. PV System
The PV system consists of arrays of solar cells, which are commercially available in many types of power and voltage ranges. For example, the simplest PV power module is found
in many types of small calculators and wristwatches. Larger PV modules are utilised for electrical water pumps, communication towers, home appliances, etcetera [11, 15]. The
utilization of PV systems for electricity generation provides substantial advantages over conventional power sources, for example: 1 PV is environmentally friendly-there are no
harmful greenhouse gas emissions during the generation of electricity; 2 solar energy is obtained from natural resources, which are free and in abundance; 3 the current cost of PV is
on a fast-reducing track and this reduction is expected to continue for the next several years, therefore, PV panels have a promising future in terms of economic viability; 4 PV panels
convert sunlight into electricity in a direct way; and 5 PV panels have very low operation and maintenance costs [16].
TELKOMNIKA ISSN: 1693-6930
Performance Analysis of a PVFC Hybrid System for Generating Electricity Iraq’s… Z. Nawawi 415
In order to cater to the electrical demand in Al-Gowair, the capacity of the PV module has been determined as needing to be capable of producing between 0 kW to 280 kW. This
information will be applied to the HOMER, along with the capital cost, replacement cost, OM cost, lifetime and tracking system. The details of the input data for the PV module are provided
in Table 3.
Table 3. PV input details
Size to consider kW 0-255-260-265-270-280
Capital cost kW 5600
Replacement cost kW 5600
OM cost kWyr Lifetime year
25 Tracking system
Two axis
5.2. Fuel Cells
A fuel cell combines hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity. The basic principle of a fuel cell is illustrated in Figure 6. Hydrogen is fed to the fuel electrode anode, where it is
oxidized, producing hydrogen ions and electrons. In the meantime, oxygen is fed to the air electrode cathode, where the hydrogen ions from the anode absorb electrons and react with
the oxygen to produce water. The difference between the respective energy levels of the anode and the cathode is the voltage per unit cell. However, the current flows in the external circuit
depend on the chemical activity and the amount of supplied hydrogen. The flow of the current will continue as long as there is a supply of reactants hydrogen and oxygen [17]. Detailed
data of FC for the current study is provided in Table 4.
Figure 6. The basic principle of a fuel cell Table 4. Fuel cells details.
Table 5. Specification of an inverter input details
Size to consider Kg 0-50-55-60-65
Capital cost Kg 3000
Replacement cost kW 2500
OM cost kWyr 0.02
Lifetime hour 40000
Size to consider kW 0-55-60-65-70
Capital cost kW 900
Replacement cost kW 900
OM cost kWyr Lifetime year
15 Efficiency
90
5.3. Conv erter
