Design and Simulation of Hybrid Power Source for Afit Mechanical Engineering Academic Block

This project presents the design and simulation of hybrid power source system for mechanical engineering block at Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT). Feasible energy sources considered include wind, solar and hydrogen fuel cell to back up the epileptic national grid energy source that is in place. The design commenced with the determination of the block power demand (load) based on National University Commission standards for academic staff offices and student classrooms, the determination of size and number of solar panel cells and the capacity of the hydrogen fuel cell to charge the lithium polymer (LiPo) batteries with a constant voltage of 48 V for uninterrupted 24/7 power supply. The system therefore consists of solar cells, fuel cell, electrolyzer, DC-DC converter, and inverter. Each component was modeled separately in Matrix Laboratory (MATLAB) Simulink and then combined to form the system model. The system model was simulated for different loads to investigate its output voltage and current characteristics to ascertain the system performance and efficiency in meeting the mechanical engineering block energy demands. The simulation showed that the system can effectively utilize surplus PV power to produce hydrogen for storage and draw on stored hydrogen to produce electricity when PV output is insufficient. The hybrid system achieved a 140% increase in power availability hours by affording 59,960watts standby power that meets approximately 8hours power need of the department whenever the on-grid source is unavailable. The study therefore encourages sustainable power deployment within the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) using hydrogen fuel cells, solar and battery power system. Furthermore, hybrid PV/FC power systems can reduce CO2 emissions, resulting in a more friendly and sustainable environment. The project concluded that 23 solar panels of 500W each, a 60KW/48V inverter and 8 lithium batteries with a capacity of 48V/200Ah were required to power the building effectively.