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FUEL CELLS - Desktop Study

5. TYPE OF FUEL CELL TO USE IN A PV-FUEL CELL HYBRID SYSTEM

In our application of a stand-alone PV-fuel cell hybrid system powering a residential building, it is recommend to use a low temperature fuel cell, as the heat generated by the electrochemical reaction can not be used massively on a domestic scale. Also high temperature fuel cells need to use energy to warm up, and as a backup energy supply would need to be kept warm as long as there is a possibility of there being an energy demand.

Therefore, two different types of fuel cells can be used:

- PEM Proton Exchange membrane
- AFC Alkaline Fuel Cell

Pure hydrogen is used to power both types of fuel cell. The efficiency of the alkaline fuel cell is much higher (70%) than the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (40%) and their prices are approximately the same (about £ 4000). Therefore the alkaline fuel cell has been chosen as an energy backup supply for our application.

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Enquiries and comments to pvhydrogen@strath.ac.uk
Energy Systems Research Unit
University of Strathclyde
Glasgow