Floating concentrated solar thermal power plant concept with thermoelectric conversion for hydrogen production stations
International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, cilt.261, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 261
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2026.156754
- Dergi Adı: International Journal of Hydrogen Energy
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Artic & Antarctic Regions, Chemical Abstracts Core, Chimica, Compendex, Environment Index, INSPEC, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Engineering Source (EBSCO)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Floating system, Hydrogen production, Parabolic trough collector, PEM electrolyzer, Thermoelectric generator
- Kocaeli Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
This study proposes a floating parabolic trough collector (PTC)-based concentrated solar thermal system integrated with thermoelectric generators (TEGs) and a PEM electrolyzer for hydrogen production. Unlike conventional configurations, the proposed system utilizes seawater as a natural cooling source for the cold side of the TEG modules, enhancing the temperature gradient and thermoelectric performance. Mathematical models were developed for the solar thermal subsystem, TEG modules, and PEM electrolyzer. Two operating strategies were investigated: maximum power point (MPP)-based operation and hydrogen-production-oriented optimization. The results showed that seawater cooling increased the maximum overall system efficiency from 4.6% to 7.8% and enhanced daily hydrogen production from 26.39 to 38.14 L/day. The maximum apparent thermoelectric conversion ratio reached 6.8%. Furthermore, hydrogen-production-oriented optimization yielded 68.65 L/day of hydrogen, approximately 80% higher than seawater-cooled MPP operation. The proposed floating CSP–TEG–PEM architecture demonstrates promising potential for sustainable coastal and offshore hydrogen production.