Stand-alone and grid-connected operation of fuel cell

In this paper, a dynamic model of solid-oxide fuel cell (SOFC) having a power rating of 30 kW has been presented and implemented in PSCAD software. The SOFC system comprises a fuel cell (FC) stack and power conditioner, which comprises of a dc-dc boost converter and dc-ac inverter. The system also incorporates a Pi-controller to maintain output voltage of dc-dc boost converter at a desired level when there is a change in FC output voltage due to change in current supplied by it. Pulse width modulation (PWM) switching technique has been utilized for boost converter and inverter operation. The model has been tested for stand-alone and grid-connected operation and its load following performances. The model has also been tested under fault conditions on the grid-side. The simulation results obtained has been presented with analysis.