International Journal of Applied Power Engineering (IJAPE)
Vol 15, No 1: March 2026

Enhancing electrolyzer performance for hydrogen production in a solar system using a buck converter with sliding mode control

Idrissi, Abdellah El (Unknown)
Imodane, Belkasem (Unknown)
Oubella, M’hand (Unknown)
Ameziane, Hatim (Unknown)
Benydir, Mohamed (Unknown)
Dahmane, Kaoutar (Unknown)
Belkhiri, Driss (Unknown)
Ajaamoum, Mohamed (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
01 Mar 2026

Abstract

As the world increasingly turns to renewable energy, green hydrogen produced through water electrolysis has emerged as a clean and promising alternative to fossil fuels. In this work, we explore a solar-powered hydrogen production system that uses real data from an operational photovoltaic (PV) installation, ensuring accurate and realistic modeling of environmental conditions. A DC-DC buck converter is used to regulate the fluctuating PV output, supplying the precise voltage needed by a PEM electrolyzer. Sliding mode control (SMC) strategy is applied to maintain voltage stability, and its performance is compared with a traditional proportional-integral (PI) controller. Simulations in MATLAB/Simulink demonstrate that SMC offers better dynamic performance, including minimal overshoot, faster response, and an impressive hydrogen production rate of 0.98 L/min (98% efficiency). By providing more consistent voltage to the electrolyzer, SMC significantly boosts overall system performance. These findings underline the potential of advanced control strategies, supported by real-world data, to make renewable hydrogen production more reliable and efficient.

Copyrights © 2026






Journal Info

Abbrev

IJAPE

Publisher

Subject

Electrical & Electronics Engineering

Description

International Journal of Applied Power Engineering (IJAPE) focuses on the applied works in the areas of power generation, transmission and distribution, sustainable energy, applications of power control in large power systems, etc. The main objective of IJAPE is to bring out the latest practices in ...