Modeling and operation of a fuel cell stack for distributed energy resources: A living lab platform.

To tackle the carbon emission problem, the exploitation of renewable energy resources (RESs) with zero emissions has gained much importance. In this context, hydrogen has become an important resource to involve itself in distributed energy resources (DERs) to generate electricity, energize vehicles, and heat our living areas. The utilization of hydrogen technologies is indispensable due to their procurement, environmental friendliness, and high efficiency for DERs. A challenging area in the field of hydrogen energy technologies is extracting efficient power and integration to DERs. This paper investigates how to model and operate a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) stack in a DER application to establish a living lab facility for educational and research purposes by covering Power-to-X (P2X). The PEMFC model of the studied system is designed in a MATLAB/Simulink environment and implemented in an experimental testbed. Thus, a fuel cell (FC) unit as a complementary source is preferred to be used near a photovoltaic (PV) array, a small-scale wind turbine (WT), and a lead acid battery energy storage system (BESS) by creating a P2X concept to form a living lab platform. Beyond the model, regarding the experimental part, a PV array, a WT, and a BESS are combined with a PEMFC module that is rated output of 1200 W. Expect for all systems, the FC part is emphasized in this study. Also, a dynamic model of the mentioned PEMFC is proposed and verified. • Importance of hydrogen energy is focused on its advantages, future role, potential, and challenges. • FC unit as a complementary source is evaluated by creating a P2X concept. • This platform is designed to meet the energy needs of research-education, diversify the supply, increase energy independence. • Energy procurement is supplied via green energy during a lesson, which is noteworthy and instructive. • Feasibility of combined PV/WT/BESS/PEMFC system is investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]