Field performance of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell for a residential energy system

This paper describes the performance evaluation of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell for application to a hybrid utilization experiment involving renewable energy and a fuel cell for a residential energy system. First, experiments on characteristics of heat and power generation were carried out. Direct current electrical efficiency and heat recovery efficiency for a rated output operation were quite high: 42.5 and 49.2%, respectively. Second, characteristics of partial load, water temperature for heat recovery, start-up time, load following and exhaust gas were clarified. Finally, measurement of characteristics of a hot water tank was carried out, and it was proved that sufficient performance can be obtained even under continuous operation.