Periodic Reporting for period 5 - ComSos (Commercial-scale SOFC systems)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2022-09-01 do 2023-08-31
Through this project, manufacturers prepare for developing capacity for serial manufacturing, sales and marketing of mid FC CHP products. All manufacturers will validate new product segments in collaboration with the respective customers and confirm product performance, the business case and size, and test in real life the distribution channel including maintenance and service. In function of the specific segments, the system will be suitable for volumes from few 10’s to several 1,000 systems per year. These systems are designed to readily step-up to 100’s or over 1,000 systems per year respectively, which is the level identified by the FCH JU Distributed Generation study as creating the unit cost required for commercial take-off. This is, combined with further technological development of the systems and value engineering in stack manufacturing, such that the systems which will be developed based on learnings gained in the ComSos project will have the price point and cost/volume dynamics ready for commercialization.
The overall objectives of the ComSos project are following:
• Demonstrate and validate Mini FC-CHP
• EU worldwide leadership in Mini FC-CHP market
• Lever uCHP volumes and cost reductions in additional FC applications
• Confirm investment opportunity for additional jobs creation for Mini FC-CHP
The specific key objective of the ComSos project is to validate and demonstrate fuel cell based combined heat and power solutions in the mid-sized power range (referred to as Mini FC-CHP). The outcome gives proof of the superior advantages of such systems, underlying business models, and key benefits for the customer. The technology and product concepts have been developed in Europe under supporting European frameworks such as the FCH-JU. The overall target amount of installations is more than 20 units with a total power output of at least 450 kW, distributed as follows: Convion, 2 units of 60kWe each (total 120 kWe), Sunfire, 5 units of 25kWe each (total 150 kWe) and Solydera, 20 units of 9kWe each (total 180kWe).
Major project achievements are following:
* Most of the demo sites have been identified but not all.
* All SOFC systems, provided by Sunfire GmbH and Convion, were installed.
* All Solydera units were not installed
* Business case analysis for the 10-50 kW systems has been made
* Detailed analysis for cost breakdown for SOFC systems have been finalized
* ComSos systems from all manufacturers have reached efficiency and emission targets (KPIs)
In the ComSos project, together with the partners selected for market deployment, the manufacturers identified first beachhead (niche markets) and develop a concept for the market deployment. The convenience of SOFC-based solutions with respect to the traditional energy supply system has been addressed in the analysis. In particular, the assessments provide insights on the energy and natural gas prices (i.e. the spark spread indicator) which makes the SOFC cost-effective. The analysis also explored different SOFC investment costs and stack lifetime.
The environmental benefits of a shift to fuel cell mid FC CHP derive from a reduction in overall primary energy use of circa 25% as compared to a conventional boiler and electrical grid mix option. In the short term, with the current grid mix, a comparable CO2 emission reduction is expected. With their high efficiency, fuel cells in distributed generation can yield substantial CO2 savings in the building sector and various industrial applications – especially when building on the natural gas infrastructure in the transition period towards a carbon-free European power mix and even beyond given the zero-emission potential of the fuel cell technology. The direct environmental impacts expected from the project, based on a deployment more than 20 units (450 kWe) will be an emissions reduction of well over 1,200 tCO2/year. As the overall electrical grid mix decarbonizes in Europe due to additional renewable and energy generation efficiency measures, the overall CO2 emissions avoided from a mid FC CHP unit will decrease without a concurrent “greening” of the natural gas grid. A number of sources have emerged in recent years from biogas to gas derived from power to gas projects, which have the potential to secure the long term decarbonization of gas grids across Europe and hence ensure that mid FC CHP is more than simply a transition technology and that it will have a role in the long term future of a European energy system. Stationary fuel cells can nearly fully eliminate local emissions of pollutants like NOx and SOx as well as particulates – a particular advantage for urban population centres where local emissions tend to become a drain on the standard of living and governments are already putting regulatory limits in place.