PHOEBUS Project

The PHOEBUS project involved the provision of autonomous solar electricity to the library building of the Research Centre Julich. This system included batteries but also an electrolyser and a fuel cell, as can be seen in Table 4.4. 

The stability and controllability of direct coupling of the PV generator with the battery, electrolyser and fuel cell have been thoroughly investigated in the PHOEBUS facility. It was concluded that the efficiency of the overall plant could be improved from 54% to 65% and an appreciable reduction in construction costs may also be expected by the omission of the converters (Schucan, 2000). 

Experimental compressor Solar thermal - metal hydride 120 bar 

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Figure 2.48. Diagram of the principle behind the PHOEBUS project (Julich) [GHO 03]...

In further German projects (HySolar [13], SWB [14], PHOEBUS [15]), various other advanced alkaline water electrolyzers were developed, constructed and tested in conjunction with renewable solar energy. Since then, no new and innovative approaches in alkaline water electrolysis had been funded or pursued in Germany until the profound change that the introduction of the German Renewable Energies Act [2] brought about. 

The German project PHOEBUS was one of the most successful and one of the most emblematic. In addition, this project communicated a great deal of feedback on its results. 

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