Optimization of PV electrolyzer for hydrogen production

With the advancement in human civilization, the need for energy is increasing at an unprecedented rate. The present resources, mainly from a non-renewable carbon source, will be extinct sooner than expected. In this scenario, there is a need to focus on a sustainable and environment-friendly source of energy. Renewable solar energy-based Hydrogen production is a solution in this regard. However, the commercial processes involved in its production are not economically feasible. This work is a sincere effort to optimize the control factors using the Taguchi method to maximize the yield of hydrogen gas production and minimize the cost of the production process. This study focuses on the optimization of the critical driving factors of a PV integrated perforated electrolyzer system. This study considers the twelve most influencing factors for optimization through an L₁₆ (2¹²) orthogonal array. Based on the conclusions obtained through the L₁₆ orthogonal arrays, the maximum hydrogen gas produced was around 319.35 Ncm³/hr, and implementing the Taguchi optimization technique, it was found to be 682.59 Ncm³/hr. Therefore, it can be concluded that there was an increment of 53.21% concerning the maximum value as obtained from the L16 Orthogonal array.