Solid Oxide Fuel Cell System and the Economical Feasibility

In the paper, a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system is briefly described and its economical feasibility in three different applications is analyzed. In the feasibility analysis, the SOFC system is part of commercial applications where energy is used for power and heat generation. In the economical analysis, the three applications have different load profiles which are studied separately at different geographical locations with associated local energy market conditions. The price for natural gas and electricity varies by location, leading to a different feasibility condition for stationary fuel cell application as well as for other distributed generation equipment. In the study, the spark spread of natural gas and electricity is used as a base variable for the analysis. The feasibility is analyzed in the case of an electricity-only application as well as with two combined heat and power applications, where an economical value is assigned to the produced and consumed heat. The impact on economical competitiveness of possible incentives for the generated fuel cell power is estimated. A sensitivity analysis with different fuel cell-units’ electrical efficiency, maintenance cost, and payback period is presented. Finally, the maximum allowed investment cost levels for the SOFC system at different locations and market conditions is presented.

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Thermodynamic and Economic Analysis of a Steam Reformer-Solid Oxide Fuel Cell System Fed by Natural Gas and Ethanol

Energy Sources ◽

10.1080/00908310252888745 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 24 (4) ◽

pp. 365-373 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Savvas Douvartzides ◽

Panagiotis Tsiakaras

Keyword(s):

Fuel Cell ◽

Natural Gas ◽

Economic Analysis ◽

Solid Oxide Fuel Cell ◽

Cell System ◽

Solid Oxide ◽

Oxide Fuel ◽

Fuel Cell System ◽

Steam Reformer

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Economic Analysis of Hydrogen Household Energy Systems Including Incentives on Energy Communities and Externalities: A Case Study in Italy

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14185847 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (18) ◽

pp. 5847

Author(s):

Niccolò Caramanico ◽

Giuseppe Di Di Florio ◽

Maria Camilla Baratto ◽

Viviana Cigolotti ◽

Riccardo Basosi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle ◽

Fuel Cell ◽

Natural Gas ◽

Economic Analysis ◽

Solid Oxide Fuel Cell ◽

Cell System ◽

Solid Oxide ◽

Oxide Fuel ◽

Fuel Cell System ◽

Net Metering

The building sector is one of the key energy consumers worldwide. Fuel cell micro-Cogeneration Heat and Power systems for residential and small commercial applications are proposed as one of the most promising innovations contributing to the transition towards a sustainable energy infrastructure. For the application and the diffusion of these systems, in addition to their environmental performance, it is necessary, however, to evaluate their economic feasibility. In this paper a life cycle assessment of a fuel cell/photovoltaic hybrid micro-cogeneration heat and power system for a residential building is integrated with a detailed economic analysis. Financial indicators (net present cost and payback time are used for studying two different investments: reversible-Solid Oxide Fuel Cell and natural gas SOFC in comparison to a base scenario, using a homeowner perspective approach. Moreover, two alternative incentives scenarios are analysed and applied: net metering and self-consumers’ groups (or energy communities). Results show that both systems obtain annual savings, but their high capital costs still would make the investments not profitable. However, the natural gas Solide Oxide Fuel Cell with the net metering incentive is the best scenario among all. On the contrary, the reversible-Solid Oxide Fuel Cell maximizes its economic performance only when the self-consumers’ groups incentive is applied. For a complete life cycle cost analysis, environmental impacts are monetized using three different monetization methods with the aim to internalize (considering them into direct cost) the externalities (environmental costs). If externalities are considered as an effective cost, the natural gas Solide Oxide Fuel Cell system increases its saving because its environmental impact is lower than in the base case one, while the reversible-Solid Oxide Fuel Cell system reduces it.

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