Demonstration of fuel cell technology for decentralvsed co-generation in Greece

The present fuel cell demonstration project, aims to facilitate market penetration of stationary co-generation fuel cell systems in Greece through the investigation of their economic and technical specifications. This includes testing the FC technology in typical market applications. The demonstration phase intends to include selection and installation of commercially available FCs in the range of 50 - 200 kW(e), all fuelled with natural gas. The FCs performance will be evaluated in real application conditions for their operability and performance in co-generation mode. The project's market study and engineering phase have been concluded and this paper presents the economic and technological aspect behind the demonstration. The engineering of the demonstration was based on the overall combined thermal and electrical efficiency, as defined in relation to the demand by typical commercial building users. The present project is co-funded by the Greek Ministry of Development and the Greek Public Gas Corporation (DEPA) S.A.