During the lifetime of the PACE Project (6 years and 11 months in total), the participating equipment suppliers were able to sell, install and commission more than 2500 Fuel-Cell micro-CHP units in homes and businesses across 9 European countries (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom).
Funding provided by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership was used to subsidize the cost (i.e. reduce the price) of purchasing a Fuel-Cell micro-CHP (FC mCHP) unit. This financial incentive helped to make the technology more attractive to potential and prospective customers.
The units were sold with 10-year servicing contracts and the performance of the units was monitored remotely in order to assess their efficiency and reliability.
Customers were asked to complete questionnaires at three different points in time. In total, some 1,760 questionnaires were completed. The survey results show that more than 75% of customers rated their own experience as ‘positive’ or ‘very positive’ in relation to the design, environmental impact, electricity generation and heating effectiveness of their FC mCHP unit.
The performance of the FC mCHP units was measured by collecting data over a total of more than 30 million operating hours. The data showed that the gas utilization of the units corresponds closely to the efficiency ratings provided by the manufacturers. Installed units were found to be functioning properly between 95% and 99% of the time, indicating a high level of reliability.
The relative performance of different technologies was analysed, and it was calculated that a house with a FC mCHP unit would have significantly reduced CO2 emissions (49% lower) and annual energy costs (46% lower) compared to a house with a gas boiler that uses electricity from the grid. Further emission reductions can be achieved by combining a fuel cell unit with a heat pump.
In the framework of the PACE Project, more than 3,400 installers received training on how to install and maintain Fuel Cell micro-CHP units.
Communication and dissemination efforts continued throughout the lifetime of the project, notably by means of social media activity (on LinkedIn and Twitter), videos (published on YouTube) and having a visible presence and representation at relevant trade fairs and other events.
In September 2022, during the European Sustainable Energy Week, the PACE project (jointly with COGEN Europe) hosted a hybrid event on Putting buildings at the centre of integrated local energy systems in Brussels. The main purpose of this event was to contribute to the policy debate on the revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD).
During the final phase of the PACE project, a series of 6 interviews were recorded with business owners and householders talking about their own personal experiences of owning and using fuel cell micro-cogeneration systems. Edited versions of these interviews were shared via social media and published on COGEN Europe’s YouTube channel.
The results of the PACE project were presented at a Conference (What Role for Fuel Cell micro-CHP in Europe’s Future Energy System?) in Brussels on 26 April 2023. This was also a hybrid event and recordings are available online (accessible via the PACE website).
A six-page brochure summarizing the outcomes of the PACE project is available in 5 language versions (Dutch, English, French, German & Italian) on the PACE website.
