Rule-based energy management strategies for PEMFC-based micro-CHP systems: A comparative analysis

Area of Science:

• Energy Systems Engineering
• Renewable Energy Technologies
• Building Services Engineering

Background:

• Commercial proton-exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC)-based micro-combined heat and power (micro-CHP) systems utilize rule-based energy management strategies.
• Existing strategies for meeting household energy demand (e.g., heat-following, electricity-following) have varying operational costs.
• The optimal strategy's effectiveness is contingent upon specific operating scenarios, including energy prices and grid export capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore and deepen the understanding of the dependence relationship between micro-CHP operating strategies and various scenarios.
• To compare the performance of four distinct rule-based operating strategies under different conditions.

Main Methods:

• Conducted a parametric analysis to evaluate the influence of key scenario parameters.
• Compared the performance of four rule-based operating strategies.
• Investigated the impact of energy prices, feed-in tariffs, stack degradation, climate, and heat-to-power demand ratios.

Main Results:

• The study clearly illustrates the dependence of strategy performance on operating scenarios.
• A comprehensive understanding of this relationship was achieved.
• Adapting the energy management strategy to the specific scenario can yield annual savings of up to 14.5 percentage points.

Conclusions:

• Enhanced characterization of the strategy-scenario dependence can inform the design of new, more effective operating strategies.
• Future strategies can potentially avoid the complexity of optimal energy management (e.g., linear programming) while still maximizing savings.
• Facilitating the mass commercialization of micro-CHP systems by improving their economic viability and operational efficiency.