Micro Combined Heat And Power System Based On Htpem Fuel Cell And Li-Ion Batteries: Performance Analysis

Micro Combined Heat and Power (CHP) systems based on Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cells are gaining increasing interest since they allow the production of electricity and heat in a decentralized, quiet, efficient and environmentally friendly way. However, the use of PEM fuel cell still involves different economical and technical issues to be overcome before widespread commercialization begins. In the last years, significantly research efforts have been made to the development of High Temperature PEM (HTPEM) fuel cells which could reduce system complexity and cost. In this paper, with the aim of reducing fuel cell stack size to enhance cost reduction, the possibility of integrating a batt ery storage system in a HTPEM based micro CHP system is evaluated. The proposed system encompasses a HTPEM fuel cell stack, a steam reforming fuel processor and a battery pack. The fuel processor allows the HTPEM fuel cell to be fuelled with conventional hydrocarbon based fuels while the battery pack allows peak shaving thus reducing fuel cell stack size.. Furthermore the choice of implementing a battery storage system contributes to the development of the smart grid technology by enabling off-grid and on-grid storage of energy. The overall system should provide total electrical and part of the thermal power requirements for a typical single family house. In order to evaluate the influence on system cost, two fuel cell system sizes have been considered and three different household electric load profiles have been analyzed. System performance, in terms of conversion efficiency, have been calculated and compared