Project Directive

Project name: Project title: Start: Employer: Employee: Filled in by:

Renewable energy and Fuel cells

Renewable energy combined with fuel cell technology Monday, Mars 30th End: Friday, June 5th, 2009

Universidad Castilla De La Mancha, Albacete - Spain Project group H09E01, stfold University College, Sarpsborg - Norway Tommy Jullum Date: April 3th, 2009

A. Organization
Project leader: Contact person Project members: Tommy Jullum Aleksander L. Hoel Rezan Shawali, Elias Cuellar, Tommy Jullum, Aleksander L. Hoel

Reference group/ persons:

UCLM Renewable Energy Institute Jesus Canales Vazquz Carlos Sanchez Bautista stfold University College Even Arntsen

B. Project description
Background: Through Hiof we are working with the main project in cooperation with Universidad de Castilla La Mancha, UCLM. Together with their renewable energy institute we can be a part of their work, and prevent one of the worlds biggest problems today; the climate change. Todays focus and investments in renewable energy is increasing since the main cause of climate change is fossil fuels. We will use this opportunity to be involved and to cooperate internationally on a world problem, and take the knowledge we gain back, and promote it to Norway.

Problem description:

The main scope of the project is to integrate fuel cell technology with other renewable energies to achieve power generation for a small summerhouse in Norway. The summerhouse will be at an off-grid location powered by fuel cells up to 4.8 kW. There should be several photovoltaic panels and a windmill that provide power to all electric facilities in the house. Under non windy or sunny conditions, power will be provided via the fuel cell stacks. This can be achieved by storing the excess power generated by the PV panels or the windmill, as hydrogen using electrolysers. Hydrogen will be kept in metal hydride canisters and can eventually be a small stock for power supply.

Purpose:

The purpose of the project is to research and develop hydrogen along with renewable energy. Everyone knows why the commitment to renewable energy, but that hydrogen can be used as a storage device, may not be so well known. Well, the theory has been there a long time, but the focus on it has just begun. We want with this project, to research on hydrogen and promote its great properties to store energy. The project is divided to five parts: The first part of the project will be to gain knowledge and theoretical describe sun power, wind power, hydrogen and The Nexa Power Module. The second part will consist of designing and sizing the electric installation for the summerhouse with a special focus on drawbacks and limitations of the whole systems. The installation must have 230 VAC voltage supply and will be installed with reference to NEK 400 (Norwegian electro technical committee). The third part consists on working with the electrolysers/stacks. In the laboratory at the renewable energy institute, there is four fuel cell stacks with additional equipment needed or the testing to this project. The testing will be to connect these stacks, stabilize and invert the voltage, and watch the hydrogen usage and efficiency of the whole system. There will be put on different sizes of loads up to 4.8 kW to simulate the daily use of common electric devices in an ordinary summerhouse. The fourth part deals with the energy supplying system where the PV panels windmill and the hydrogen system will be projected. The hydrogen system consists of an electrolyser for producing the hydrogen from the generated electricity, and fuel cells to produce the electricity from the hydrogen. The output voltage from the fuel cell stacks is from 26 46 VDC depending on the size of the load one put to them. Also the windmill and the PV panels have an unstable output voltage. This voltage must be stabilized and inverted to 230 VAC to fulfil the requirements for electric outlets in Norwegian houses. So the whole energy supplying system must contain stabilizers, batteries and inverters. There will be designed a control system that selects whether the house is supplied by the windmill or PV panels, or the stacks. The system must be secured with protective fuses and wired with sizes referenced to the NEK 400. Then the last part, the concluding part will be to discuss if this is a proper system considerate to the Norwegian conditions, hydrogen usage, efficiency and economically. The two electrolysers and the twelve hydrogen canisters at the lab are way too small for the real system. So from the results of this testing it will be projected a fitting hydrogen storage tank and an electrolyser for the summerhouse. The hydrogen efficiency and properties will be compared with other similar power generators.

Objectives:

Activities:

The theoretical part will be done before anything else starts and the concluding part cannot start before any other part is finished. The summerhouse installation will start as soon as the theoretical part is finished. After the summerhouse is installed the activities for energy supplying system will start and go side by side with the testing until both are finished. The testing cannot start before we have been trained to work with the equipment. The report will be done with the following activities: 1. Theoretical o Describe solar energy and PV system as an energy converter. o Describe wind energy and wind turbine as an energy converter. o Describe hydrogen as an energy carrier. o Describe Nexa Power Module. 2. Summerhouse installation o Design and size the electrical installation o Discuss and demonstrate the limitations 3. Testing with electrolysers/stacks o Set up and test the four fuel cell stacks, put on different sizes of loads and evaluate parameters such as: - Stack voltage/current - Efficiency - Fuel utilisation 4. Project and describe the energy supplying system o PV panels o Windmill o Hydrogen system o Battery system o House inlet o Control system 5. Concluding part o Figure out if this is a proper system. o Find a fitting hydrogen storage tank for the system. o Find a fitting electrolyser for the system. o Compare the hydrogen with other power generators.

Limits and frames:

The designing of the electrical installation and the supplying system will only be done theoretically. The only practical part in this project is to set up the stacks and do the tests needed to figure out if this is a proper system. The laboratory contains only four fuel cell stacks and therefore the limit of power is 4.8 kW. Under sunny and windy conditions there can be produced more power, but without these conditions the only power supply is the four fuel cell stacks which not produces more than 1.2 kW each. The two electrolysers at the laboratory will not produce as much hydrogen as required, and the hydrogen canisters are not as big as required. With consideration to this the testing will be scaled down compared to the thought system. The two electrolysers must be supplied with 230 VAC from electrical outlets in the lab and can only produce 2 litres per min of hydrogen. The 12 hybrid canisters are at 600 litres each and will get empty in a couple of hours with full load to the stacks. The designing of the electrical installation will not be focusing on the grounding.

Project connections:

Is the project part of a bigger project or program? Yes No

C. Resource frames and economy

Budget (amount in NOK) Costs Text Work: 4 persons (150 NOK / h) 3 months fulltime (days: 22 April, 21 Mai, June) 8 hours a day Lab equipment Counselling 20 hours (500 NOK / h) Expo (stand, equipment) Sum budget

Amount 230 400 500 000 10 000 1000 741 400

D. Project plans - Status reporting

Project planning: Will there be made a milestone plan and responsibility chart for the project? Yes Responsible: Time limit: No Tommy Jullum Friday April 3th, 2009

Status reporting:

Will it be reported regularly about status and progression of the project? Yes No

Sender: Receiver: Frequency: First report:

Tommy Jullum Even Arntsen, Hong Wu, Jesus Canales, Carlos Sanchez Weekly, every Friday Friday April 3th, 2009

Report:

Will a final report be made? Yes Responsible: Recipient: Time limit: No Tommy Jullum stfold University College 12.00 oclock June 8th, 2009

E. Signing
..............................

.....................................

...........................................

.......................................

Tommy Jullum

Aleksander Langli Hoel

Rezan Shawali

Elias Cuellar