Model-Based development of solar-to-hydrogen conversion system with dynamic operating point control of multiple DC-DC converters

The model-based development (MBD) technology is applied to design and implement a solar-to-hydrogen (STH) conversion system. Concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) modules, electrolyzers, and DC-DC converters are modeled precisely based on the actual component measured characteristics. To improve the system efficiency, a new control method is implemented on the precise simulation model. The control software is implemented using the auto-code generation technology for high reliability. The maximum power point tracking (MPPT) function and control method are confirmed by an experiment. The developed system achieves one-day STH efficiency of 18.78%, which is the highest efficiency to date for a sub-kilowatt-scale photovoltaic (PV) system under outdoor operation.