Analysis of the overall efficiency of a PEFC with a bioethanol-solar-reforming system for individual houses

The development of a bioethanol reforming system for fuel cells (FBSR) using sunlight as a heat source was investigated. The FBSR was introduced into standard individual houses for numerical analysis. In this paper, operation of the system was analyzed by introducing two-dimensional heat diffusion equation of the catalyst layer. The supply electric power and heat were investigated using the energy-demand characteristic in a standard house in March and August in Sapporo, Japan. The overall efficiency of the production of electricity and heat power was determined by examining its thermal output characteristic. The amount of hydrogen production, the production-of-electricity characteristic, and the thermal output characteristic were examined using meteorological data in March and August. The overall efficiency of the system, defined as the rate of power and heat output compared to the amount of solar heat collected, was measured on the representative days.