Development and evaluation of a solar-based integrated ammonia synthesis and fuel cell system

In the present study, a new ammonia synthesis and fuel cell system integrated with solar energy is developed. The excess energy from a solar photo-voltaic plant is utilized for ammonia synthesis, which acts as an energy storage medium. Two different locations in Canada are considered for system modelling and simulation. The thermodynamic performance of the developed system is analyzed on a transient basis taking into account the variations in solar intensities across the year. The maximum energetic performance evaluated in terms of energy efficiency is 15.72%. Also, the peak exergetic efficiency of the solar-based system is determined as 16.55%. In addition, the daily discharge time capacity is found to reach 8.9 h at the peak. Furthermore, the ammonia synthesis rate obtains a value of 64.8 mol/s at the peak synthesis rate. The daily capacity of energy discharge entails the maximum value of 8502.4 kWh. The dynamic simulation results of each subsystem are discussed comprehensively presenting the applicability of the developed system for intermittency mitigation. (c) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.