Modelling a reversible solid oxide fuel cell to be used as a storage device within ac power networks

One way to increase the value of renewable energy is to use a high efficiency reversible solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) as an energy storage device. The utilization of SOFC for distributed generation (DG) requires the development of inverters that convert variable DC power into AC power. This paper addresses the integration of the SOFC with a power electronic inverter as a distributed generation device. The SOFC model and power inverter blocks are implemented in MATLAB/Simulink with three competing inverter control schemes. Hardware tests are required in the future and the purpose of this research is to verify a stable SOFC power system. (6 pages)