Characteristics of a New Polymer Electrolyte Electrolysis Technique with Only Cathodic Media Supply Coupled to a Photovoltaic Panel
by
Martin Müller 1,*, Walter Zwaygardt 1, Edward Rauls 1
, Michael Hehemann 1, Stefan Haas 2, Lars Stolt 3, Holger Janssen 1 and Marcelo Carmo 1
Martin Müller 1,*, Walter Zwaygardt 1, Edward Rauls 1, Michael Hehemann 1, Stefan Haas 2, Lars Stolt 3, Holger Janssen 1 and Marcelo Carmo 1
1
Institute of Energy and Climate Research, Electrochemical Process Engineering (IEK-14), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Wilhelm-Johnen-Str., 52428 Jülich, Germany
2
Institute of Energy and Climate Research, Photovoltaics (IEK-5), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Wilhelm-Johnen-Str., 52428 Jülich, Germany
3
Solibro Research AB, Vallvägen 5, SE-756 51 Uppsala, Sweden
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Energies 2019, 12(21), 4150; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12214150
Received: 26 September 2019 / Revised: 16 October 2019 / Accepted: 22 October 2019 / Published: 30 October 2019
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Materials and Devices for Solar to Hydrogen Energy Conversion)
Herein we discuss polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolysis stacks and systems we developed that are optimized for direct coupling to a photovoltaic (PV) panel. One advantage of PEM systems is their use of non-corrosive and non-toxic media. Thus, safe outdoor operation can be guaranteed, even in the case of a leakage. The system design was adapted to reduce the number of connection tubes, allowing for a series connection of multiple stacks at low cost and high reliability. One coupled PEM/PV system was tested under various temperature and irradiance conditions. All system components were also thoroughly characterized. The characterization was used to calibrate simple models of the individual components. Finally, the models were used to predict the system’s solar-to-hydrogen efficiency under different operating conditions and to find an optimal configuration for real-world outdoor operation.
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Keywords:
PEM electrolysis; direct coupling of PV and electrolysis; advanced system configuration with only one pipe; no alkaline media; subzero temperature efficiency; low cost-low catalyst loading
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MDPI and ACS Style
Müller, M.; Zwaygardt, W.; Rauls, E.; Hehemann, M.; Haas, S.; Stolt, L.; Janssen, H.; Carmo, M. Characteristics of a New Polymer Electrolyte Electrolysis Technique with Only Cathodic Media Supply Coupled to a Photovoltaic Panel. Energies 2019, 12, 4150.
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