| dc.description.abstract | As the global climate crisis drives the world to move away from fossil for out energy needs to more climate friendly solutions for both energy generation and storage. A hydrogen economy is looked at as a solution for many problems regarding the transition. \bigskip
One of the largest problems facing the hydrogen economy however, is the production of cheap and clean hydrogen. Here, water electrolysis supplied by renewable energy is one solution. This thesis looks to develop a Simulink model for the autonomous production of green hydrogen through PEM electrolysis supplied by wind and solar energy. The model consists of a PEM electrolysis unit supplied by renewable energy from solar PV and a wind turbine connected through power conditioning units to a DC bus. A battery is also implemented through a bidirectional converter to supply short term energy storage and to handle any power ripples. The system is regulated through a series of controllers for reliant and efficient operations. Further, to showcase the scalabillity of the system, it is sized to supply the fueling needs of a hybrid electroc vehicle. \bigskip
A P\&O MPPT algorithm is implemented through the boost and buck converters connecting the renewable generation units to the DC-bus, operating the units at their maximum available point. The battery bank along with a bidirectional DC-DC converter offers voltage regulation to the bus by adjusting the battery current to provide a constant bus voltage of 48V. The PEM electrolyser is controlled to operate at, or as close to, its full load by manipulating the duty of its buck converter. The control structure also include a measure to disconnect the electrolyser load if the battery SoC falls below 40\%, with the aim of prolong the lifetime of the battery bank. The system was tested using snapshot simulations to showcase the working principles and the results showed promise for autonomous production of green hydrogen. | |