Remote Area Power Supply System Based on Hydrogen Energy Storage

This project aims to set up a zero-emission RAPS prototype consisting of PV primary energy coupled to an electrolyser, fuel cell and hydrogen storage, to meet the electricity consumption in remote areas. There are many applications in Australia and internationally not served by the main electricity grid that require a reliable standalone power supply.

The load is supplied directly with PV primary energy, with any excess over load being diverted to the electrolyser to generate hydrogen for storage.  Hydrogen is used by the fuel cell when the load exceeds the available PV power.  The present project is therefore to design a prototype which will integrate the several components discussed above, to simulate the hydrogen charging conditions of using PV and electrolyser, and to study the hydrogen systems coupling to the fuel cell for off-grid power supply.

The main components and specifications of the RAPS system, and the planned schedule are presented below.

RAPS system components