Applied Energy, Vol.59, No.4, 261-271, 1998
Polymer-electrolyte water electrolysis
The electricity for the electrolyzer is supplied by a variable electricity supply unit that simulates actual outputs of both series and parallel combinations of solar cells exposed to various solar intensities. An amorphous-silicon solar cell is used as a sensor for the unit The operation was continued for more than 600 days without trouble. The case of direct connection of the solar cell and polymer electrolyte (PE) water electrolyzer is simulated : the test results show that more than 95% of the peak electricity power of the solar battery can be utilized for the electrolyzer over various solar radiation conditions.