Case Study: Plug Power achieves accelerated fuel-cell control development and reduced operating costs with MathWorks

Plug Power Accelerates Fuel Cell Control Development

Plug Power, a developer of on-site fuel cell energy systems, needed to shorten time-to-market while ensuring reliable, efficient performance across tightly controlled temperature ranges. To model complex fuel cell and reformate-processing dynamics, rapidly test control strategies, and reduce hardware costs (including fewer sensors), Plug Power turned to MathWorks and its tools such as MATLAB and Simulink.

Using MathWorks products—including MATLAB, Simulink, Control System Toolbox, and Deep Learning Toolbox—Plug Power performed system identification, implemented PID and model-predictive controllers, developed load-prediction models, and created a simulation GUI to pretest algorithms before embedded deployment. The MathWorks-based workflow cut algorithm development time by several weeks (for example, a pattern-recognition algorithm took under a week in MATLAB vs. over a month in C++), increased engineering confidence and efficiency, reduced operating expenses, and helped halve the number of sensors/parts in the next-generation system.

Plug Power

Rebecca Dinan

Controls Engineer