Integrated Photovoltaic with Reversible Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell-based Building Cladding Systems for Hydrogen and Oxygen Production
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Zhang, Jingshi
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Abstract
The latest data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA 2022) shows that energy consumption from buildings accounted for 37 percent of total energy consumption, of which 79 percent is derived from fossil fuels that cause 73 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. According to the US government (US Department of State and US Executive Office of the President 2021), there is a need to investigate renewable energy and carbon neutralization. This paper reports on an ongoing doctoral project in architecture that examines the application of reversible fuel cells in buildings and proposes a system for integrating photovoltaics with reversible fuel cells into building envelopes. This system has been designed to produce clean energy in the form of electricity and hydrogen, as well as oxygen for buildings to improve indoor air quality. Hydrogen is regarded as a possible energy storage medium for transitioning the world to a zero-carbon environment. Among six common fuel cells, proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are straightforward to use and lead to a relatively higher energy conversion rate of 40–60% (EERE n.d.). Researchers have previously studied some electrochemical applications for building energy generation and storage. In this research, we aimed to explore the potential of reversible proton exchange membrane fuel cells for building skin applications by constructing a physical prototype and measuring its efficiency. To confirm the potential of reversible fuel cells for building skin applications, our team constructed an initial prototype of a reversible PEMFC-based cladding system. The prototype was 15.24 cm × 15.24 cm (6 in. × 6 in.) and contained four photovoltaic cells on the exterior side and four reversible PEMFCs on the interior side. The independent variable was radiation, and the dependent variables included oxygen volume, hydrogen volume, and energy conversion efficiency. The irradiance on the day of the experiment was measured at 156.6 W/m2 (49.6 Btu/(hr.ft2)). The hydrogen energy output of the system was determined to be 15.7 W/m2 (5.0 Btu/(hr.ft2)), yielding an energy conversion rate of 8.76 percent. The energy conversion rate of a traditional PV system with batteries is 15–20 percent. While the proposed system cannot currently compete with commercial PV-battery systems, energy conversion efficiency may be improved through future research. In addition, the scalability of reversible fuel cell storage is better than traditional batteries, as a byproduct of the proposed system, oxygen can be introduced into HVAC systems in buildings to improve indoor air quality. We envision a future in which diverse and clean energy generation and storage technologies have been adopted in building skins to help supplement or replace traditional sources of energy.
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2025-03
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