Optimal control and operation strategy for an integrated photovoltaic/thermal-pressure retarded osmosis-solid oxide fuel cell system

Abstract

Hydrogen-based renewable microgrids have gained widespread recognition as a promising, clean, efficient, and economically viable zero-carbon solution. In this work, a centralized energy management strategy for a stand-alone DC microgrid employing the photovoltaic thermal system, the pressure retarded osmosis system, and the solid oxide fuel cell system is proposed for the first time. The performance of the developed hybrid system depends on environmental conditions such as temperature, pressure, solar intensity, etc., and its nonlinear characteristics require fast and robust control to improve energy efficiency and lifetime. In this study, a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) control based on the distributed optimization algorithm using triangulation topology aggregation optimizer (TTAO) and reptile search algorithm is first adopted to improve the dynamic operating efficiency of the integrated system under fluctuating environmental conditions. The results indicate that the proposed system combined with EMS can provide superior MPPT performance with less power fluctuation and higher production efficiency. The TTAO algorithm outperforms the other three evaluated algorithms. In the proposed hybrid system, an annual output power of 1852 kW is achieved, an increase of 9.84 % compared to the classic approach, achieving higher energy efficiency and a lower operating cost for the hybrid system.