Hydrogen fuel-cells for powering a sustainable and reliable future grid: Advanced topologies, control schemes, challenges, and future directions

Hydrogen energy has made remarkable advancements as a clean, flexible, and large-scale energy storage solution. It plays a vital role in decarbonizing both the power and transportation sectors while improving the reliability of future grids that integrate renewable resources. Fuel cells (FCs) have increasingly been recognized as a viable energy source due to their high-power density, rapid dynamic response, broad operational range and low carbon emissions. However, the efficiency, lifespan, and operational reliability of current FCs are lagging behind established renewable technologies such as solar photovoltaics and wind power. Consequently, there is a pressing need for research focused on enhancing FC designs, control methods, and integration strategies. This work provides a comprehensive overview of FC-integrated grid systems, concentrating on their power electronics components and control methods to improve power quality, manage dynamic loads, and balance active and reactive power. It also underscores the significance of FCs in facilitating carbon neutrality and ensuring grid stability, while assessing their contributions to achieving net-zero emissions targets. Furthermore, the review highlights key challenges and offers future directions to advance FC technology, serving as a guide for both future research and industry stakeholders in this critical area. • Impacts of fuel cells in achieving strong and sustainable future grid are demonstrated. • Role of advanced power electronic topologies and controllers are discussed in fuel cell integrated grid system. • Issues and challenges of power electronics technologies and their associated control schemes are highlighted. • Important recommendations and future directions are delivered to researchers and policymakers.