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HYBRID Fuel cell and SOLAR-POWERED CHARGING STATION FOR MICRO-MOBILITY AND STEM EDUCATION
* 1 , 2 , 2 , 3
1  University of Texas at Tyler, USA
2  The University of Texas at Tyler, USA
3  Houston Community College, USA
Academic Editor: Grazia Leonzio

Abstract:

The increasing demand for sustainable energy solutions in transportation has driven significant advancements in renewable energy technologies, with applications in electric vehicle charging stations, for example. Thus, a hybrid fuel cell and solar-powered charging station for micro-mobility, where such local transportation is utilized, would be beneficial. Moreover, such a hybrid charging station can be used to promote STEM education as it showcases the integration of solar-energy panels and hydrogen fuel cell technology to provide a sustainable power solution for micro-mobility and portable devices. This project aims to address the growing demand for eco-friendly transportation options while serving as an educational tool for science and engineering students. The methodology involved assembling, testing, and evaluating a system composed of a solar panel of up to 200 W, a solar charge controller, a set of battery banks, a hydrogen generator, a fuel cell, and a power inverter. The preliminary results indicated that while the system could power various devices from a fan of 3 Watts to a laptop of about 90 Watts, the hydrogen generators underperformed a bit to run at sub-optimal pressure at a flow rate of about 1 L/min, and thus limited the fuel cell's performance to below 100 Watts. The solar charging system successfully charged batteries to power the hydrogen generator for the tested duration.

Keywords: fuel cell; hydrogen generator; portable devices
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