Optimal control of a grid assisted photovoltaic-hydrogen production system

Abstract

This paper deals with the optimal control of a H2 production system supplied by a photovoltaic solar energy and assisted by the grid. For that, we propose a simple dynamic model accounting for the main features of the system, where the electrolizer current is used as the control variable, and we obtain the control law that optimizes the grid energy consumption despites the solar energy variability An important constraint on the obtained solution is the physical limits of the hydrogen storage tank, which results in a nonsmooth and noncontinuous problem. The Pontryagin’s maximum principle is used to solve the boundary value problem and an explicit piecewise continuous control law is found. Simulation results are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed control design.