Performance study of power density in PEMFC for power generation from solar energy

A study has been carried-out on power density in the Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) for its application for solar power generation. It involves a fuel cell approach assisted with specific electro-catalysts to process special chemical coupling (2-propanol/acetone/H2) for generating the power. This knowledge will be useful for designing the solar power generation system based on this special chemical coupling enabling to use low-grade solar heat (<100 °C). For this purpose, a wide study has been conducted in the PEMFC using different catalytic electrodes at various orientations (0°, 45° and 90°). The investigations were carried-out at different temperatures from 45 °C to 60 °C using liquid oxidant mixtures in different proportions. The maximum power density attained was 1.78 mW cm−2 at 60 °C. The PEMFC based technique for solar power generation may prove to be a promising option to harness this everlasting source of sun’s energy in the coming future.

► Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) is examined for solar power generation.
► 2-propanol/acetone/H2 chemical coupling is used for study of power density.
► Investigated power density at different temperature and orientations.
► Successfully generated maximum power density 1.78 mW cm−2.