Abstract
Constructing the hydrogen energy system in a global scale as an energy system which have not affected a global environment is assumed. One of the hydrogen energy system is a photovoltaic/fuel cell power hybrid system which is a combination of the photovoltaic power generation system and fuel cell. This system is composed of photovoltaic arrays, hydrogen generators, hydrogen storage system and fuel cell power generation system. The hydrogen storage system is composed of three hydrogen storage tanks. Each hydrogen storage tank has hydrogen absorbing alloys (LaNi5) and a shell and tube heat exchanger. This system can supply constant electric power to the electric loads in a solitary island separated from a commercial electric network.
The possibility of each of hydrogen storage tank in this system is examined by the computer simulation. Input data used in this simulation are as follows ; the global irradiance on inclined plane and the ambient temperature of HASP data of Tokyo, residential load data which have ten kinds of electrical load forms (annual electric load energy of 400 MWh), conversion efficiencies of each subsystem and so on.
As a result of the computer simulation, it was reveled that 745 kW in rated capacity of photovoltaic power generation system, 259.2 tons in total weight of hydrogen absorbing alloys, 150 kW in rated capacity of fuel cell power generation system are needed for the annual electric load of 400 MWh. And then a number of hydrogen absorption and desorption of hydrogen storage tanks per year are 1039 and 1749 times respectively.
