In my final thesis, I focused on integrating photovoltaics into a sustainable energy system composed of three subsystems. The main components of the system are photovoltaic panels, an electrolyzer, and a fuel cell. In the assignment, I focused on photovoltaic panels and measured and analyzed the characteristics of individual photovoltaic panels from different manufacturers at different resistances, compared a cold photovoltaic panel to an overheated one, and, based on the defined power diagram of the PEM fuel cell, determined how many photovoltaic panels connected in parallel are needed for the system. Based on my measurements, I found that the difference of nominal properties of photovoltaic panels makes a noticeable difference, as the fill factor varies by as much as 27 %. I showed that a cold photovoltaic panel under the same conditions and loads performs better by as much as 18 % than an overheated one and concluded that at least four photovoltaic panels connected in parallel are required for the designed sustainable energy system.
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