Clean Energy Technologies

Research Article

IoT‑Integrated Hydrogen Fuel Cells for Reliable and Sustainable Power Generation in China’s Inner Mongolia and Hebei Regions

Khan, E. U., Khan, A. A., Majid, S. I., Bilal, M., & Bari, F. (2025). IoT‑Integrated Hydrogen Fuel Cells for Reliable and Sustainable Power Generation in China’s Inner Mongolia and Hebei Regions. Clean Energy Technologies, 1(2), 58–75. https://doi.org/10.54963/cet.v1i2.1925

Authors

  • Emran Ullah Khan

    Department of Electrical Engineering, CECOS University of IT and Emerging Sciences, Peshawar 25000, Pakistan
  • Ateeb Ali Khan

    Department of Information Engineering Technology, University of Technology, Nowshera 24300, Pakistan
  • Saad Ijaz Majid

    Department of Information Engineering Technology, University of Technology, Nowshera 24300, Pakistan
  • Muhammad Bilal

    Department of Information Engineering Technology, University of Technology, Nowshera 24300, Pakistan
  • Fozia Bari

    Hameed Awan and Associates, Peshawar 25100, Pakistan

Received: 9 July 2025 | Revised: 27 August 2025 | Accepted: 30 August 2025 | Published Online: 15 September 2025

Our research focuses on IoT-integrated hydrogen fuel cells for clean energy in Inner Mongolia and Hebei, China. The system features a 100 kW PEMFC array (65–80 ℃, 98% pure H2, 850 mbar) paired with an optimized AWS IoT Cloud using MQTT/LoRaWAN for 1 Hz data communication. AI-driven EMS optimizes operations (35–85% load, 30–80% battery charge), while predictive maintenance via Random Forests achieves 96% fault detection, maintaining 5 mΩ membrane resistance and 0.8% voltage deviation. The system consumes 4.1 kg/h of H2, operates for 720 h (−25 ℃ to 38 ℃, 20–100 kW load), and reduces unscheduled downtime by 68%. Estimated results show 58% efficiency, 28% battery cycle reduction, and 814 t of annual CO2 savings per unit. Advanced security (AES-256/TLS, blockchain) ensures data integrity, supporting clean energy access and industrial growth in remote regions. The proposed system holds significance in adding sustainable energy, but it is challenged by high initial cost, extreme range of weather adaptability, complications in scalability, and industrial acceptance. These challenges are addressed by feasible solutions, including the cost reduction through mass production, advanced hydrogen infrastructure development, data security with cybersecurity enhancements (AES-256/TLS, blockchain), and thermal management. The research paper aims to add a feasible and sustainable technology helping in achieving energy goals set for China’s futuristic industrial growth, and ensuring sustainable energy access in Inner Mongolia and the Hebei region.

Keywords:

Internet of Things (IoT) Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) Machine Learning (ML) Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) LoRaWAN Sustainable Energy Weather Adaptability Industrial Growth

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