modeling of proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer for green hydrogen production from solar energy

Hydrogen is considered one of the means by which to store energy coming from renewable and intermittent power sources. With the growing capacity of renewable energy sources, a storage system is required to not waste energy. PEM electrolysis provides a sustainable solution for the production of hydrogen and is well suited to couple with energy sources such as solar and wind. This work reports the development of simulation software to estimate the performance of a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer working at atmospheric or low pressure conditions connected to a solar energy source. The electrolyzer is defined from a validated reference semi-empirical model, which allows for simulating the electrochemical, thermal and H2 output flow behaviours with enough precision for engineering applications. An algorithm for a fitting procedure to characterize commercial products, and functions for power modulation have been implemented. A series of simulations have been carried on, starting from real photovoltaic data of input power, and the output values have been discussed, with particular attention to output flow rate, thermal behaviour and the cooling demand in order to preserve the operation of the electrolyzer.