Solar-hydrogen system has great potential for contributing to sustainable and clean energy supply. The aim of this study is to clarify the impact of heat transfer media in solar collector such as methane, ammonium, hydrogen, air and water on the performance of solar-hydrogen system. After estimating the highest temperature attainable by each heat transfer media, the amount of thermal energy that could be saved in the production of hydrogen or preheat for power generation by fuel cell was calculated. The power generation performance of fuel cell using each heat transfer media was also investigated. As a result, it has been revealed that the temperature changes of methane, ammonium and air follow the horizontal solar radiation intensity irrespective of seasons, and their highest temperatures are almost the same among them. The temperature response of hydrogen is slower than methane, ammonium and air. This study defines the ratio of saving thermal energy which indicates the effect of solar thermal utilization for production of hydrogen or preheat for power generation by fuel cell without using utility gas. It has been found that the biggest thermal energy saving is obtained when hydrogen and air are used as the heat transfer media. The power generated by PEFC system per effective area of evacuated tube collector in the case of using methane or ammonium is 3.309×10-2 kWh/m2 and 2.076×10-2 kWh/m2, respectively, while it is 2.466×10-2 kWh in the case of using hydrogen and air.
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