A Technological Solution for an Everywhere Energy Supply With Sun, Hydrogen, and Fuel Cells

Abstract

The hydrogen economy is still at the beginning, but society, innovation, and the market push inexorably toward hydrogen, inspiring the idea to build an energy-integrated system that can satisfy, in an independent way, the energy needs of small-sized consumers. The technologies used for the system design are already available in the market and, at least for the standard solutions, sufficiently mature. The innovation consists of an integration, optimization, and industrialization of this modular system, which is an electric zero-emissions generator, giving 3.5kWp as an output power. This is the only system able to produce its own fuel, guaranteeing renewable and clean energy, available where and when you want. This system is constituted by a polymer membrane electrolyzer, a metal hydrides tank (which absorbs and desorbs hydrogen), and a polymer fuel cell (PEM). The system modularity can also satisfy higher energy requirements, and the low-pressure hydrogen storage system through metal hydrides guarantees the system safety.