Techno-economic optimum sizing of stand-alone photovoltaic/fuel cell renewable system for irrigation water pumping applications

The excess photovoltaic produced energy goes to water electrolysis system during the daylight (surplus) hours to generate hydrogen to be stored in hydrogen tank for later use. The fuel cell generates electricity using the stored hydrogen as fuel to meet the load demand when the PV produced power is insufficient. A feasibility study and techno-economic evaluation of a stand-alone Photovoltaic/Fuel cell renewable system for irrigation water pumping applications are detailed discussed in this paper. HOMER software was employed to do the simulations and perform the techno-economic evaluation. Thousands of cases have been carried out to achieve an optimal system configuration based on the lower net present cost and levelized cost of energy. In this work, a case study is done for a remote area situated at Alminia city as a representative example of a remote agricultural area in Egypt was presented here. Finally, a comparative study of photovoltaic/fuel cell system with stand-alone diesel generation system and also with grid extension were considered in this study.