ABSTRACT
Among several types of fuel cells, the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) has shown advantages, such as high conversion efficiency, no need for noble metal catalysts, use of hydrocarbon fuel, no liquid in the fuel cell, etc. In recent years, a total of 10 MW Bloom Energy servers (100 kW per server) based on SOFC technology have been installed in California and North Carolina in the United States. The power generation of a 700-W unit of “Ene-Farm Type S,” which realized a power generation efficiency of 46.5% (net AC, LHV) as a commercially available residential-use fuel cell system, was developed jointly by Osaka Gas, Aisin Seiki, Kyocera, and Toyota Motor. Although the cost of an SOFC unit is still high, the future looks promising for SOFCs.
