Status of solid oxide fuel cell development and commercialization in the US

Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) powerplants are expected to impact the natural gas stationary power distributed generation (DG) market - 300-kilowatt (kW) to multi-megawatt (MW) - the portable power market, the specialty applications (commercial and military) market, and transportation markets. Siemens Westinghouse is the leader in tubular SOFC technology. Several completely packaged and self-contained power plants, up to nominal 100-kW size, have been manufactured and tested by them. A manufacturing facility currently produces these power plants. In the U.S. several planar designs are also under development. Organizations developing planar designs include the Institute of Gas Technology, Ceramatec, Ztek, Technology Management Incorporated, and Allied Signal Aerospace Corporation. The high-efficiency, fuel cell-turbine hybrid, with and without networking or staging of fuel cells, represents the most efficient power plant type ever conceived. Siemens Westinghouse is planning the first test of a 60 percent efficient 250-kW fuel cell turbine hybrid in 1999.