This work highlights the gains of an innovative model-based control approach applied to a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) system, included in a stand-alone hybrid generator. This approach proposes a multivariable setpoint tracking of the PEMFC output power and temperature. The freshness of this approach is based on the combination of a nonlinear model-based predictive control strategy (NMPC) and a global linearizing control (GLC) algorithm. The performance of the proposed control strategy is confirmed thanks to simulations of varying control scenarios. Results show good performance in setpoint tracking, disturbances rejection and robustness against plant/model mismatch in presence of noisy signals. Moreover, for similar setpoint point tracking accuracy, the proposed control strategy appears to be four times faster than a classical multivariable NMPC strategy. According to real-time application objectives, this control strategy appears as a promising option to be implanted in the overall control scheme of the stand-alone hybrid power generator. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.