scholarly journals Optimal Synergy between Photovoltaic Panels and Hydrogen Fuel Cells for Green Power Supply of a Green Building—A Case Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6304
Author(s):  
Raluca-Andreea Felseghi ◽  
Ioan Așchilean ◽  
Nicoleta Cobîrzan ◽  
Andrei Mircea Bolboacă ◽  
Maria Simona Raboaca

Alternative energy resources have a significant function in the performance and decarbonization of power engendering schemes in the building application domain. Additionally, “green buildings” play a special role in reducing energy consumption and minimizing CO2 emissions in the building sector. This research article analyzes the performance of alternative primary energy sources (sun and hydrogen) integrated into a hybrid photovoltaic panel/fuel cell system, and their optimal synergy to provide green energy for a green building. The study addresses the future hydrogen-based economy, which involves the supply of hydrogen as the fuel needed to provide fuel cell energy through a power distribution infrastructure. The objective of this research is to use fuel cells in this field and to investigate their use as a green building energy supply through a hybrid electricity generation system, which also uses photovoltaic panels to convert solar energy. The fuel cell hydrogen is supplied through a distribution network in which hydrogen production is outsourced and independent of the power generation system. The case study creates virtual operating conditions for this type of hybrid energy system and simulates its operation over a one-year period. The goal is to demonstrate the role and utility of fuel cells in virtual conditions by analyzing energy and economic performance indicators, as well as carbon dioxide emissions. The case study analyzes the optimal synergy between photovoltaic panels and fuel cells for the power supply of a green building. In the simulation, an optimally configured hybrid system supplies 100% of the energy to the green building while generating carbon dioxide emissions equal to 11.72% of the average value calculated for a conventional energy system providing similar energy to a standard residential building. Photovoltaic panels account for 32% of the required annual electricity production, and the fuel cells generate 68% of the total annual energy output of the system.

Author(s):  
Jay F. Kunze ◽  
Gary M. Sandquist ◽  
David Martinez Pardo

Reducing the amount of carbon dioxide emitted to the atmosphere is a major goal and an imperative need for most of the world’s nations, even for those nations such as the USA who are not Kyoto Treaty signatories. A response by the current USA administration is to develop a national transportation economy for automobiles based upon efficient, environmentally sound fuel cells. However, hydrogen is a secondary fuel requiring a primary energy source for production. Nuclear power (or renewables such as hydroelectric, wind or solar) must be the source of the primary energy required to produce hydrogen from water, if the overall energy system is to be free of carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere. The dissociation of water leaves oxygen as a major byproduct. Currently, there are no existing commercial markets for the large quantities of oxygen that would result from a US transportation economy based upon hydrogen fuel cells. However, Integrated Coal Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) power plants operating on pure oxygen for both gasification and combustion produce no greenhouse gas releases. This highly desirable feature results from the combustion output being only water and carbon dioxide. Pure CO2 can be relatively easily captured and delivered to a sequestration site. Also, hazardous trace metal compounds (e.g., Hg, As, Pb, Sn, Sb, Se, U, Th, etc.) that would ordinarily be emitted to the atmosphere could be captured as solids, for environmentally acceptable disposal.


2016 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 587-600
Author(s):  
Paweł Wrona ◽  
Józef Sułkowski ◽  
Zenon Różański ◽  
Grzegorz Pach

Abstract Greenhouse gas emissions are a common problem noticed in every mining area just after mine closures. However, there could be a significant local gas hazard for people with continuous (but variable) emission of these gases into the atmosphere. In the Upper Silesia area, there are 24 shafts left for water pumping purposes and gases can flow through them hydraulically. One of them – Gliwice II shaft – was selected for inspection. Carbon dioxide emission with no methane was detected here. Changes in emission and concentration of carbon dioxide around the shaft was the aim of research carried out. It was stated that a selected shaft can create two kinds of gas problems. The first relates to CO2 emission into the atmosphere. Possible emission of that gas during one minute was estimated at 5,11 kg CO2/min. The second problem refers to the local hazard at the surface. The emission was detected within a radius of 8m from the emission point at the level 1m above the ground. These kinds of matters should be subject to regular gas monitoring and reporting procedures.


Heliyon ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (8) ◽  
pp. e04772 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deni Kusumawardani ◽  
Ajeng Kartiko Dewi

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Mourad

Because of their high efficiency and low emissions, fuel cell vehicles are undergoing extensive research and development. When considering the introduction of advanced vehicles, a complete evaluation must be performed to determine the potential impact of a technology on carbon dioxide (CO2) and greenhouse gases emissions. However, the reduction of CO2 emission from the vehicle became the most important objective for all researches institutes of vehicle technologies worldwide. There interest recently to find unconventional methods to reduce greenhouse gas emission from vehicle to keep the environment clean. This paper offers an overview and simulation study to fuel cell vehicles, with the aim of introducing their main advantages and evaluates their influence on emissions of carbon dioxide from fuel cell vehicle and compares advanced propulsion technologies on a well-to-wheel energy basis by using current technology for conventional and fuel cell. The results indicate that the use of fuel cells, and especially fuel cells that consume hydrogen, provide a good attempt for enhancing environment quality and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Moreover, the emission reduction percentage of fuel cell vehicle reaches to 64% comparing to the conventional vehicle. Keywords: Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle, Performance, Simulation, Driving Cycle, CO2 Emissions, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Fuel Consumption.


2018 ◽  
Vol 67 ◽  
pp. 01015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yutaro Akimoto ◽  
Shin-nosuke Suzuki

Fuel cells are a clean and weather-independent power supply. Solar and wind power are widespread in islands that are difficult to supply power. If problems are solved in the future, fuel cells are also expected to become popular. The widespread commercialization of PEMFC stacks depends on their reliability and fault diagnosis. In this study, we developed a degradation diagnosis method for the purpose of improving reliability. The output reduction of the fuel cell is separated into reduction factors called overpotentials. And the factor of the decrease is specified. In this paper, we show the proposed method and the degradation factors, and the effectiveness of the method.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Victoria ◽  
Kun Zhu ◽  
Tom Brown ◽  
Gorm B. Andresen ◽  
Martin Greiner

AbstractFor a given carbon budget over several decades, different transformation rates for the energy system yield starkly different results. Here we consider a budget of 33 GtCO2 for the cumulative carbon dioxide emissions from the European electricity, heating, and transport sectors between 2020 and 2050, which represents Europe’s contribution to the Paris Agreement. We have found that following an early and steady path in which emissions are strongly reduced in the first decade is more cost-effective than following a late and rapid path in which low initial reduction targets quickly deplete the carbon budget and require a sharp reduction later. We show that solar photovoltaic, onshore and offshore wind can become the cornerstone of a fully decarbonised energy system and that installation rates similar to historical maxima are required to achieve timely decarbonisation. Key to those results is a proper representation of existing balancing strategies through an open, hourly-resolved, networked model of the sector-coupled European energy system.


Author(s):  
Courtney E. Grosvenor ◽  
Melissa C. Lott ◽  
Michael E. Webber

The impacts of the U.S. transportation and electricity generation sectors include air emissions and water consumption. Information and communication technologies (ICT) such as advanced video teleconferencing have the potential to displace some activities that have historically required transportation. While ICT can reduce environmental impacts compared to transportation options in many cases, there are non-obvious environmental trade-offs associated with replacing transportation with ICT. These tradeoffs are the consequence of many factors, including the particular local electricity mix, meeting duration, number of meeting participants, travel distances, travel modes, motive transport conversion technologies, and transport fuels. Identifying and quantifying these trade-offs is the focus of this research. For this study, a nomenclature and methodology were developed to compare environmental trade-offs associated with transportation and ICT. The nomenclature was designed to facilitate side-by-side comparison of the environmental impacts of travel and ICT and to allow expansion of the nomenclature for future study. The methodology considered a variety of conversion technologies for motive transport including spark-ignition, compression-ignition, fuel cells, and electric motors. Both conventional and developing fuels were considered including gasoline, ethanol, diesel, biodiesel, natural gas, hydrogen, and electricity. Likewise, electricity consumption for ICT included both traditional and developing electricity generation technologies. Carbon dioxide emissions and water consumption for ICT were assessed for comparison with transportation in a case study that demonstrated use of this methodology by considering three distinct scenarios for a particular business meeting: 1. Two meeting attendees travel to the meeting by diesel city bus while two travel in a private vehicle. 2. All four meeting attendees travel by private vehicle powered by compressed natural gas. 3. The four meeting attendees do not travel, but instead meet their clients virtually via ICT. The case study analyzed in this manuscript considers only the water and carbon dioxide impacts, but the nomenclature developed allows future expansion for analysis of other greenhouse gases. The three scenarios revealed that, compared to short travel distances, use of ICT does not always generate fewer carbon dioxide emissions. Depending on the mode of electricity generation, travel proved to be preferable from an emissions standpoint for scenarios in which travel distances were small. However, in cases that required long distances to travel, ICT often allowed businesses and individuals to reduce their environmental impacts, especially if electric power generation in that location utilized large amounts of relatively low-emissions technologies such as hydroelectric dams, wind, solar, and nuclear. Finally, it should be noted that, in addition to comparing ICT and travel impacts, this methodology can be used to calculate the environmental tradeoffs of various transportation options when travel is a necessity.


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