IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v18y2025i1p208-d1561023.html

Simulation of PEM Electrolyzer Power Management with Renewable Generation in Owerri, Nigeria

Author

Listed:
  • MacMatthew C. Ahaotu

    (Department of Electrical Engineering, School of Electrical Systems and Engineering Technology, Federal University of Technology Owerri, Owerri PMB 1526, Nigeria)

  • Chisom E. Ogbogu

    (College of Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University Africa, Kigali BP 6150, Rwanda)

  • Jesse Thornburg

    (College of Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University Africa, Kigali BP 6150, Rwanda
    Grid Fruit, LLC, Austin, TX 78758, USA)

  • Isdore Onyema Akwukwaegbu

    (Department of Electrical Engineering, School of Electrical Systems and Engineering Technology, Federal University of Technology Owerri, Owerri PMB 1526, Nigeria)

Abstract

Proton exchange membrane electrolyzers are an attractive technology for hydrogen production due to their high efficiency, low maintenance cost, and scalability. To receive these benefits, however, electrolyzers require high power reliability and have relatively high demand. Due to their intermittent nature, integrating renewable energy sources like solar and wind has traditionally resulted in a supply too sporadic to consistently power a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer. This study develops an electrolyzer model operating with renewable energy sources at a highly instrumented university site. The simulation uses dynamic models of photovoltaic solar and wind systems to develop models capable of responding to changing climatic and seasonal conditions. The aim therefore is to observe the feasibility of operating a proton exchange membrane system fuel cell year-round at optimal efficiency. To address the problem of feasibility with dynamic renewable generation, a case study demonstrates the proposed energy management system. A site with a river onsite is chosen to ensure sufficient wind resources. Aside from assessing the feasibility of pairing renewable generation with proton exchange membrane systems, this project shows a reduction in the intermittency plaguing previous designs. Finally, the study quantifies the performance and effectiveness of the PEM energy management system design. Overall, this study highlights the potential of proton exchange membrane electrolysis as a critical technology for sustainable hydrogen production and the importance of modeling and simulation techniques in achieving its full potential.

Suggested Citation

  • MacMatthew C. Ahaotu & Chisom E. Ogbogu & Jesse Thornburg & Isdore Onyema Akwukwaegbu, 2025. "Simulation of PEM Electrolyzer Power Management with Renewable Generation in Owerri, Nigeria," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(1), pages 1-23, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:18:y:2025:i:1:p:208-:d:1561023
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/1/208/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/1/208/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Shota Tochigi & Kiyoshi Dowaki, 2023. "Environmental Impact Assessment of PEM Fuel Cell Combined Heat and Power Generation System for Residential Application Considering Cathode Catalyst Layer Degradation," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-21, February.
    2. Kim, Jincheol & Kim, Taegyu, 2015. "Compact PEM fuel cell system combined with all-in-one hydrogen generator using chemical hydride as a hydrogen source," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 945-953.
    3. Anyanwu, E.E. & Iwuagwu, C.J., 1995. "Wind characteristics and energy potentials for Owerri, Nigeria," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 6(2), pages 125-128.
    4. Hernández-Gómez, Ángel & Ramirez, Victor & Guilbert, Damien & Saldivar, Belem, 2021. "Cell voltage static-dynamic modeling of a PEM electrolyzer based on adaptive parameters: Development and experimental validation," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 1508-1522.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Chisom E. Ogbogu & Jesse Thornburg & Samuel O. Okozi, 2025. "Smart Grid Fault Mitigation and Cybersecurity with Wide-Area Measurement Systems: A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-26, February.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Wang, Bowen & Ni, Meng & Zhang, Shiye & Liu, Zhi & Jiang, Shangfeng & Zhang, Longhai & Zhou, Feikun & Jiao, Kui, 2023. "Two-phase analytical modeling and intelligence parameter estimation of proton exchange membrane electrolyzer for hydrogen production," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 211(C), pages 202-213.
    2. Sumit Sood & Om Prakash & Mahdi Boukerdja & Jean-Yves Dieulot & Belkacem Ould-Bouamama & Mathieu Bressel & Anne-Lise Gehin, 2020. "Generic Dynamical Model of PEM Electrolyser under Intermittent Sources," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-34, December.
    3. Ahmad Alzahrani & Senthil Kumar Ramu & Gunapriya Devarajan & Indragandhi Vairavasundaram & Subramaniyaswamy Vairavasundaram, 2022. "A Review on Hydrogen-Based Hybrid Microgrid System: Topologies for Hydrogen Energy Storage, Integration, and Energy Management with Solar and Wind Energy," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1-32, October.
    4. Taehyung Koo & Rockkil Ko & Dongwoo Ha & Jaeyoung Han, 2023. "Development of Model-Based PEM Water Electrolysis HILS (Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulation) System for State Evaluation and Fault Detection," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-18, April.
    5. Zhang, Hong & Yuan, Tiejiang, 2022. "Optimization and economic evaluation of a PEM electrolysis system considering its degradation in variable-power operations," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 324(C).
    6. Erika Michela Dematteis & Jussara Barale & Marta Corno & Alessandro Sciullo & Marcello Baricco & Paola Rizzi, 2021. "Solid-State Hydrogen Storage Systems and the Relevance of a Gender Perspective," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-26, September.
    7. Wasiu Olalekan Idris & Mohd Zamri Ibrahim & Aliashim Albani, 2020. "The Status of the Development of Wind Energy in Nigeria," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-16, November.
    8. Adaramola, M.S. & Oyewola, O.M., 2011. "Evaluating the performance of wind turbines in selected locations in Oyo state, Nigeria," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(12), pages 3297-3304.
    9. Brimmo, Ayoola T. & Sodiq, Ahmed & Sofela, Samuel & Kolo, Isa, 2017. "Sustainable energy development in Nigeria: Wind, hydropower, geothermal and nuclear (Vol. 1)," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 474-490.
    10. Wang, Di & Wang, Yuqi & Wang, Feng & Zheng, Shuaishuai & Guan, Sinan & Zheng, Lan & Wu, Le & Yang, Xin & Lv, Ming & Zhang, Zaoxiao, 2022. "Optimal design of disc mini-channel metal hydride reactor with high hydrogen storage efficiency," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 308(C).
    11. Zhu, Ying & Li, Xinying & Ma, Yinjie & Long, Zhi & Liu, Hanwen & E, Jiaqiang, 2026. "A comprehensive review of microgrids with hydrogen energy systems: energy management strategies and system optimization," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 229(C).
    12. Rehman, Shafiqur, 2005. "Prospects of wind farm development in Saudi Arabia," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 30(3), pages 447-463.
    13. Belmonte, N. & Staulo, S. & Fiorot, S. & Luetto, C. & Rizzi, P. & Baricco, M., 2018. "Fuel cell powered octocopter for inspection of mobile cranes: Design, cost analysis and environmental impacts," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 215(C), pages 556-565.
    14. Frank Gambou & Damien Guilbert & Michel Zasadzinski & Hugues Rafaralahy, 2022. "A Comprehensive Survey of Alkaline Electrolyzer Modeling: Electrical Domain and Specific Electrolyte Conductivity," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-20, May.
    15. Lin, Jianhui & Gu, Yujiong & Wang, Zijie & Zhao, Ziliang & Zhu, Ping, 2024. "Operational characteristics of an integrated island energy system based on multi-energy complementarity," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 230(C).
    16. Makhsoos, Ashkan & Kandidayeni, Mohsen & Boulon, Loïc & Pollet, Bruno G., 2023. "A comparative analysis of single and modular proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers for green hydrogen production- a case study in Trois-Rivières," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 282(C).
    17. Al Dhahri, Haitham & Hussain, Murid & Ghani, M.A.A. & Inayat, Abrar & Al-Muhtaseb, Ala'a H. & Al-Haj, Lamya & Jamil, Farrukh, 2026. "Green hydrogen production via electrolysis: Materials innovation, system integration, and global deployment pathways," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 229(C).
    18. Ohunakin, O.S. & Adaramola, M.S. & Oyewola, O.M., 2011. "Wind energy evaluation for electricity generation using WECS in seven selected locations in Nigeria," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 88(9), pages 3197-3206.
    19. Andújar, J.M. & Segura, F. & Isorna, F. & Calderón, A.J., 2018. "Comprehensive diagnosis methodology for faults detection and identification, and performance improvement of Air-Cooled Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 193-207.
    20. Mohammed, Y.S. & Mustafa, M.W. & Bashir, N. & Ibrahem, I.S., 2017. "Existing and recommended renewable and sustainable energy development in Nigeria based on autonomous energy and microgrid technologies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 820-838.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:18:y:2025:i:1:p:208-:d:1561023. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager The email address of this maintainer does not seem to be valid anymore. Please ask MDPI Indexing Manager to update the entry or send us the correct address (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.