Clean energy technologies such as photovoltaic technology (PV) and fuel cells are important for sustainable future, but optimizing its performance is essential. One way to optimize these technologies is to maximize energy extraction through the maximum power tracking (MPPT) strategy, so as to ensure that these devices run in some states in some states. MPPT is widely used in PV cells and obtains energy conversion from the sun to the greatest extent. However, its application in fuel cells, especially direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC), is not so simple. By checking the key performance indicators, this study compared the effectiveness of MPPT in the two technologies, clarifying its operating efficiency and unique challenges.
Researchers used key performance indicators to conduct a critical analysis of the MPPT strategy of PV and fuel cells to evaluate and compare the two energy technologies. The study was published by Dr. Zuhair Alyousf of the University of Florida at the University of Florida and Professor Oscar Crisalle at the University of Florida at the Energy Daily.
Dr. Alyousef and Professor Crisalle conducted detailed analysis to study the effectiveness of the MPPT algorithm in PV cells and DMFC. PV cells and DMFC are good representatives of hydrogen fuel cell families. They aim to establish comparison and comparative research on the performance of the maximum power (MPP) conditions of these technologies under various operations. The study solves the critical variables that affect the power in these devices, including temperature, the degree of hell spokes (for PV cells) and methanol concentration (for DMFC).
Through analysis, researchers have confirmed that PV cells maintain a good voltage quality in MPP and retain most of the opening voltage. Instead, research shows that DMFC performance has deteriorated significantly at MPP and lost most of the open voltage. Filling factor analysis also supports these findings. The PV unit can reach high fill factor, while the value of DMFC is much lower.
Dr. Alyousef said: “PV cells show high voltage, large filling factors, and the largest solar conversion efficiency.” “However, fuel cells show different behaviors, show obvious voltage loss, and display lower fills in the MPP area. factor.”
The study shows that temperature has a profound impact on the performance of PV cells and DMFC. PV cells show better performance at lower temperatures, and DMFC shows improvement performance with increased reaction dynamics. However, DMFC is facing challenges such as cathode floods at higher currents. Most pore spaces in the liquid distribution layer are occupied by water, resulting in performance degradation.
The degree of radio radiation significantly affects the performance of PV cells, and its radiation degree is high, resulting in increased power output. For DMFC, the concentration of methanol plays a vital role, and higher concentration will lead to higher voltage. However, the optimal concentration must be carefully balanced to prevent cross -losses of methanol.
The discovery of the study emphasizes the necessity of optimizing operating conditions to maximize the efficiency of the two technologies. Dr. Alyousef and Professor Crisalle provided several suggestions to further improve and investigate MPPT in PV and fuel cells, which emphasized the importance of solving specific challenges related to each technology. The comprehensive analysis provided in this study provides valuable insights for the effectiveness of the MPPT algorithm in different energy technologies, and highlights the unique challenges and opportunities related to each algorithm.
Journal reference
Alyousef, z. And Crismle, OD (2023). Use key performance indicators to evaluate key analysis of the maximum power point tracking strategy in photovoltaic and fuel cells. Energy report, 10,4692-4703. DOI:
