In an aquaponics setup, fish tanks provide nutrient-rich water that a pump circulates through grow beds or rafts, where plants take up nutrients and clean the water before it returns. Air pumps oxygenate the fish tanks and often the raft beds. Some systems add heaters for warm-water species, UV sterilisers and grow lights in winter. Fish in a dense tank can run short of oxygen quickly when the air pump stops, especially on a warm day.
The UPS-mode inverter takes over without a gap, so air pumps and circulation pumps never stop. A LiFePO4 battery covers the first moments, and the fuel cell supplies the steady load from hydrogen stored at 30 bar or less. Charging is on off-peak power, wind or micro-hydro. Air and water pumps are small loads, so the store lasts well.
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Pumps, aerators and controls fit easily within 15 kW. Tank heaters for warm-water fish and grow lights for winter crops can be heavier, and heat from hydrogen at 30% or less round-trip efficiency is costly. A small commercial aquaponics operation usually fits; a large one with heated tanks and lit grow rooms may need a larger or multi-unit setup sized in the pilot.
Air and circulation pumps are small loads, so stored hydrogen can carry them for a long time. How long depends on store size and other loads, calculated in the pilot.
Small heaters may fit, but heating from hydrogen is energy-expensive. Insulating tanks and accepting a small temperature drop during an outage may be wiser. The pilot would check the heater size and how quickly your tanks lose heat.
No. The electrolyser needs its own filtered, de-ionised water, about 9 litres per kg of hydrogen, kept separate from the fish and plant water. Most of it comes back from the fuel cell, so the top-up is small and never touches your system's water chemistry.
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