Simulation of a Solar Power System with

Fuel Cell backup Source for Hybrid Power

System Application
Presented by: Jamir Baddi
Ritusree Mandal
Kinjal Dasgupta
Subhojit Mondal
Abhishek Kumar
Anibrata Roy
Guided by: Bidisha Roy
Department of Electrical Engineering
Heritage Institute of Technology
 Introduction
•Hybrid Power System is simply a combination of two sources of
active power. On unavailability of one of the sources, other source
provides the power.
• In this project a solar panel devised with a solar tracker acts as the
main source and a fuel cell acts as backup power source , together
form a Hybrid Power System.
•This Hybrid Power System is supplying power to a resistive load by
balancing the output power of the two sources simultaneously.
•Two important features: 1)Renewable Resources
2)No storage device

A detailed system design and simulation have been performed in this

project.
 Preview

Previously in this project –

Control block:
Solar Cell Checks if the solar is
sufficient to provide
the power to load or
not. Load
1. If yes then solar will
supply the load
Fuel Cell 2. Else fuel cell will
provide power .
 What improvements we did in this project..

• We increased the efficiency of solar panel by using Solar tracker.

It will increase the efficiency of solar panel by 30% to 40%.
• When solar cell will be providing less voltage then fuel will play a
vital role by sharing the load along with solar panel.
• We prioritized the solar panel voltage by using effective code as
functional block.
 System Design

•Block diagram:
Control Device:

1. If solar cell is able to supply

SOLAR CELL power then it will supply
power to load.
2. If load current is more than
supplied from solar then the
load current will be supplied
LOAD
from both the sources.
3. If solar generated voltage is
less than rated load voltage
FUEL CELL then fuel cell alone will supply
the power to the load.
 System Design

Solar panel is on
•Flow Chart:

If Generated
Is load demanding voltage is less
Is solar power is If no
more current or
sufficient to feed the voltage from solar is
load? less?

If Demanded
current is more
If yes

Load
sharing
Load
Fuel cell

STOP
 How is this model working?
Is Vload= 10V Iload
Rsfixed Rsvariable
Solar
1 ohm 50 50 50 50 50
Vs=12 volt Maximum ohm ohm ohm ohm Ohm
load load load load load
If
Fuel Rffixed Rfvariable

Vf=11 Volt maximum 0.5 ohm

•Assumptions we have taken here are: 1)There is some fixed resistance drop in series
for both solar and fuel cell.
2) Rated load voltage = 10 volt.
3) All the loads have same resistance value.
4) Minimum one load is always active.
 Necessary calculation

•Ismax = (Vsmax-Vload)/Rsfixed=(12-10)/1=2 Amp [for maximum current, Rsvariable=0]

•Similarly, Ifmax=(11-10)/.5=2 Amp
•Iloadmax=2+2=4 Amp
•lload>2 Amp and <4 Amp then load sharing is needed.
•Minimum current demand of load =current demand of least no. of load( 1 load)
=> Iloadmin=Vload/Rloadmin=10/50=0.2 Amp
**Now we have to choose range of series variable resistance in a way such that each sources
can provide minimum of 0.2 Amp current to load at maximum source voltage.
•Rsvariablemax=[(Vsmax-Vload)/Iloadmin]-Rsfixed=[(12-10)/.2]-1=10-1=9 Ohm
•Rfvariablemax=[(11-10)/.2]-0.5=5-0.5=4.5 Ohm
•Rsvariable=0 to 9 Ohm, Range of Rfvariable=0 to 4.5 Ohm
 Simulink Model
•MATLAB Simulink model of solar cell based hybrid Power System.
 Functional blocks

In this proposed model we need some control device to control the

switching between two power sources viz. Solar and fuel cell.
Functional blocks are a set of code that control every component of
this system. To make this system automatic we took help of these
blocks in this simulation.

Here we have four blocks –

1. To check the solar voltage availability.
2. To trigger the signal controlled voltage source.
3. To control the fuel cell to supply the load.
4. To check the load current condition.
Let’s see how these Functional Blocks
work...
 Functional blocks
•To check the load current condition –

Input: 1. From the load current terminal.

Output: 1. o/p=2; when load current is

greater than 2A but less than or equal to
4A i.e load sharing is required.
2. o/p=0; when load current is greater than
4A that no source can provide so circuit
will get tripped.
 Functional blocks
•To check solar voltage availability –

Input: 1. From Adder terminal

2. From Feedback

Output: 1. o/p=0 ; when insufficient signal(solar

radiation) or over load condition.
2. o/p=10; when less signal amplitude
( less solar radiation) or load sharing
is required.
3. o/p=11;when sufficient signal amplitude
(solar radiation).
 Functional blocks
•To trigger the signal controlled voltage source—

Input: 1. From the solar radiation checking

functional block.

Output 1. o/p=10 ; when there is sufficient

voltage between 10.2V to 10V or load
sharing is required.
2. o/p=0; when there is no or very
less voltage across the adder terminal
or overload condition.
 Functional blocks
•To control the fuel cell supply —

Input: 1. From the solar radiation checking

functional block.
2. From the feedback Functional block.

Output: 1. o/p= 0 ; when load sharing is required

& solar is incapable of supplying power
or solar is alone capable of supplying or
during overload condition.
2.o/p=1; when load sharing is required or
solar cell is incapable of supplying.
 Output

The graphs we have found after simulating the our proposed

model are described in the coming slides. We have total six graphs
along with one at the voltage graph at the adder terminal.

Graphs that are being studied in our projects are –

1. Voltage and Current graph at the Solar Cell (constant voltage
source) terminal.
2. Voltage and Current graph at the Fuel Cell (constant voltage
source) terminal.
3. Voltage and Current graph at the Load (resistive) terminal.
 Output

•This graph is for load current of 1.25A.

1) Within 0-2sec represents night

time of the day.
2) 2-4sec represents less solar
radiation during day time.
3) 4-6sec represents peak solar
radiation during day time.
4) 6-8sec represents less and 8-
10sec lesser solar radiation
during time.
 Output

•Solar panel voltage •Solar panel current

 Output

•Fuel cell voltage. •Fuel cell current.

 Output

•Load voltage •Load current

 Output
•This graph is for load current of 2.5A.

1. This condition will

appear when load will
be more.
2. Here we have
considered that load
will be more during
day time.
 Output
•Solar panel voltage •Solar panel current
 Output

•Fuel cell voltage •Fuel cell current

 Output

•Load voltage •Load current

 Major Hardware Component

Hardware model will consist of –

1. Solar panel along with solar tracker.

2. Fuel cell.
3. Some microcontroller based controller.
4. Resistive load.
 Future work

•We will make a hardware model of this proposed

model of hybrid power system.
•We will try to improve the system more.
 References
 Md. Habibur Rahman, Kamanashis Barua, Md. Anis-Uz-Zaman, Mohammad Abdur
Razak & Naeemul Islam (2019). Simulation of a Solar Power System with Fuel Cell
backup Source for Hybrid Power System Application. 2019 International Conference on
Energy and Power Engineering (ICEPE).
 Carrasco, J. M., Franquelo, L. G., Bialasiewicz, J. T., Galván, E., PortilloGuisado, R. C.,
Prats, M. M.,& Moreno-Alfonso, N. (2006). Power-electronic systems for the grid
integration of renewable energy sources: A survey. IEEE Transactions on industrial
electronics, 53(4), 1002-1016.
 Ganechari, S. M., & Kate, S. (2005). Alternative energy sources. Alternative Energy
Sources, 5.
 Crutzen, P. J., Mosier, A. R., Smith, K. A., & Winiwarter, W. (2016). N 2 O release from
agro-biofuel production negates global warming reduction by replacing fossil fuels. In
Paul J. Crutzen: A pioneer on atmospheric chemistry and climate change in the
anthropocene (pp. 227-238). Springer, Cham.
 Crutzen, P. J., Mosier, A. R., Smith, K. A., & Winiwarter, W. (2007). N 2 O release from
agro-biofuel production negates global warming reduction by replacing fossil fuels.
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions, 7(4), 11191-11205.
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