This paper addresses a key technical challenge in evaluating the economic and operational performance of green energy systems, specifically in terms of effective power regulation. Here, a hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) comprises photovoltaic (PV) panels, a battery energy storage system (ESS), and a fuel cell (FC). A major limitation of such a system is the slow dynamic response of PV generators and FCs, which hampers its ability to effectively handle sudden peaks in load demand. It not only reduces the operational efficiency and lifespan of the FC but also contributes to instability within the system due to the delayed power response. Therefore, it is essential to incorporate an effective power regulation mechanism that can rapidly respond to load variations, ensuring overall reliability and performance of the system. One way to integrate a fast-response ESS, such as batteries, into this HRES can significantly mitigate load stress and improve overall system stability. However, achieving optimal performance depends heavily on the coordinated operation between the PV–ESS units and the FC. Hence, a base control strategy, viz. a Proportional-Integral controller is proposed to be incorporated in a novel way to manage power distribution efficiently under fluctuating load conditions. The controller is shown to ensure a balanced power supply while optimizing the contributions of PV, battery energy systems, and FC subsystems. The effectiveness of the proposed topology is established by considering a case study conducted at Visvesvaraya Bhawan (H-10) of the National Institute of Technology Kurukshetra, Haryana, India, a residential facility accommodating around 1250 students. Here, the performance of the system is validated through detailed system sizing and economic analysis using Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources Pro software. Additionally, MATLAB simulations are conducted, and real-time testing is performed using the On-Premise Long-Range Transmission platform to demonstrate the practical viability and effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Jarupula et al. (Thu,) studied this question.