Hybrid PEM Fuel-Cell-Solar Power System Design for Electric Boat with MPPT System and Fuzzy Energy Management

A hybrid power system design is proposed for electric boat by combining solar power from Photovoltaic (PV) array that is optimized by Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) system and polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell. Water electrolysis system was used to produce hydrogen for the operation of the fuel cell as the second renewable energy source. An energy management system was used based on fuzzy logic for the fuel cell and battery systems by relying on battery operation. The overall hybrid design was used to operate the three-phase asynchronous motor for the propulsion of the boat. MATLAB/SIMULINK simulations will be demonstrated by using SIMULINK models for every system in the hybrid design to show the performance. The simulation results will show the continuous operation of the hybrid system despite the difficulties that face solar power systems such as the changes in solar irradiance levels and battery charge.