Large stationary fuel cell systems: Status and dynamic requirements

Molten carbonate fuel cell demonstrations to-date, have been able to show the highest fuel-to-electricity conversion efficiencies (>50%) of any stand-alone fuel cell type.The primary developer of this type of fuel cell in United States is Fuel Cell Energy Corporation (FCE), the developer and manufacturer of the Direct FuelCell™ concept. FCE and MTU CFC Solutions in Germany, a licensee of FCE have demonstrated carbonate fuel cells from 10 kW to 2 MW of electrical output on a variety of fuels. IHI in Japan are also developing carbonate fuel cells for stationary power and have recently successfully demonstrated the technology in Kawagoe, Japan. In Italy, Ansaldo fuel cell have demonstrated a 100 kW carbonate fuel cell in Milan. In Korea, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy has committed to install 300 fuel cell units, sized 250 kW to 1 MW, for distributed power generation by 2012.Carbonate fuel cell technology is more fuel flexible than lower temperature fuel cell technologies and is well suited for on-site stationary CHP applications as well as to marine, military, and traction applications.The present paper gives an overview about the commercialisation efforts for the molten carbonate fuel cell technology.