Hydrogen production probability distributions for a PV-electrolyser system

In this study, we comprehensively analyze the probability distribution of the hydrogen production for PV assisted PEM electrolyser system. A case study is conducted using the experimental data taken from a recently installed system in Balikesir University, Turkey. A novel computational tool is developed in Matlab-Simulink for analyzing the data. The concept of probability density frequency is successfully applied in the analyses of the wind speed and the solar energy in literature. This study presents a method of applying this knowledge to solar energy assisted hydrogen production. The change in the probability distribution of the hydrogen production with the solar irradiation throughout a year is studied and illustrated. It is found that the maximum amount of hydrogen production occurs at between 600 and 650 W/m2 of solar radiation. Annual hydrogen production is determined as 2.97 kg for per m2 of PV system. Average hydrogen production efficiency of the studied PEM electrolyser is found to be 60.5% with 0.48 A/cm2 of current density. The presented results of this study are expected to be valuable for the researchers working on renewable hydrogen production systems.