Thermodynamic and Dynamic Analysis of a Wind-Powered Off-Grid Industrial Building Integrated With Solid Oxide Fuel Cell and Electrolyzer for Energy Management and Storage

In this study, an islanded microgrid system is proposed that integrates identical stacks of solid oxide fuel cell and electrolyzer to achieve a thermally self-sustained energy storage system. Thermal management of the solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) is achieved by the use of heat from the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) with a heat exchanger network and control strategies. The SOFC meets the building electricity demand and the heat generated from its electrochemical reactions is transferred to the SOEC for the endothermic heat and standby demands. Each component is physically modeled in Simulink and ultimately integrated at the system level for dynamic analyses. The current work simulates a system comprised of a wind farm in Palm Springs, CA, coupled with the SOEC (for H2 generation), and an industrial building powered by the SOFC. Results from two weeks of operation using the measured building and wind data showed that despite fluctuating power profiles, average temperature, and local temperature gradients of both the SOEC and SOFC were within desired tolerances. However, for severe conditions of wind power deficit, H2 had to be supplied from previous windy days’ storage or imported.