Control and Energy Management of a Hybrid Fuel Cell and Super-Capacitors System by Combining the Backstepping Approach and the Flatness Concept

In remote and hard-to-reach areas, such as mountainous regions, the construction and maintenance of power lines are costly. As a result, an autonomous energy production system is necessary, favoring the use of renewable energies like solar panels and wind turbines. The diversification of these sources has led to their integration with an energy production grid, supplemented by storage devices and a generator to mitigate power outages. Replacing the diesel generator with a fuel cell system can ensure complete autonomy of the energy supply. The fuel cell system meets electricity demands when sunlight or wind conditions are insufficient. This paper focuses on power management in a dual-source hybrid system comprising a fuel cell and super-capacitors (SC). The first step involves modeling the fuel cell and the system's various converters. The second step includes synthesising non-linear control strategies based on the backstepping approach and energy management using the flatness concept. These strategies account for the fuel cell's dynamics and constraints. Finally, the results were validated through simulations using Matlab's SimPower tool.