Development and Performance Analysis of a Battery-less Hybrid PV–Fuel Cell System for Island Electrification

Abstract

The increasing global demand for energy and the rapid depletion of fossil fuel resources have driven the need for sustainable and reliable power generation solutions. In Bangladesh, particularly in remote island and coastal regions, extending the national grid remains technically challenging and economically unfeasible. Although renewable energy systems provide a promising alternative, conventional configurations heavily depend on battery storage, which increases overall system cost, maintenance requirements, and environmental concerns. To overcome these limitations, this study proposes a battery-less hybrid renewable energy system integrating solar photovoltaic (PV) and hydrogen fuel cell technologies to ensure continuous power supply. In the proposed configuration, the solar PV system operates as the primary energy source during daylight hours, while the fuel cell system provides backup power during periods of low or no solar irradiation, thereby enabling uninterrupted 24-hour operation. The system incorporates a transformer-coupled push–pull inverter for efficient DC–AC conversion, followed by an LCL filter to reduce harmonic distortion and improve output waveform quality. A matrix converter is further employed to convert single-phase AC into three-phase AC, enhancing compatibility with practical load and grid applications. The overall system is modeled and analyzed using MATLAB/Simulink to evaluate its performance. Simulation results demonstrate stable voltage output, effective harmonic reduction, and high system efficiency, confirming the feasibility of the proposed approach. The battery-less configuration significantly reduces system cost and complexity, making it a viable and sustainable solution for electrification in remote island areas of Bangladesh.