Real-Time Optimization Energy Management Strategy for Fuel Cell Hybrid Ships Considering Power Sources Degradation

In order to protect the marine environment, the fuel cell has become a good candidate for the main energy source of marine vehicles due to its remarkable performance of high efficiency, quietness, and cleanness. However, the fuel cell of the hybrid power system has a critical drawback of short lifetime. For this reason, the development of the energy management strategy considering power sources degradation becomes significant and urgent. In addition, the power system configuration has a strong link with the control strategy. In this vein, a sizing method of the hybrid energy storage system for a fuel cell hybrid excursion ferry is proposed to prolong the fuel cell lifetime. Based on the configuration of the power system, a real-time optimization control strategy considering efficiency and durability is developed. To verify the control strategy, the mathematical model of the hybrid power system is established. Compared with the wavelet-based control strategy and rule-based control strategy, the proposed strategy has better performance in terms of the fuel economy, the system durability as well as the dynamic property.