Research Lab Develops Fuel Cells for Residential Homes

Risø DTU National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy has been working on a new fuel cell that is capable of producing heat and electricity with a substantial decrease in CO2 emissions, and it will be available to residential homes as soon as 2015.

Ris∅ DTU is a research laboratory for sustainable energy in Roskilde, Denmark. This research organization was made under the Technical University of Denmark, and provides the development of sustainable energy technologies.

Ris∅ DTU has entered into an agreement with Topsoe Fuel Cell, which is a company develops fuel stacks commercially. Topsoe Fuel Cell has also entered into an agreement with Dantherm Power, which is Danish power company that sells small CHP (combined heat and power) plants. Through these contracts, Ris∅ DTU can turn their research into products that can be sold to the masses.

For the past 20 years, Ris∅ DTU has been working on solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), which efficiently produces heat and electricity with no pollutants such as sulphur and nitrogen oxides, and also emits less carbon per kilowatt. The physical design of the SOFCs are flat and thin, making these fuel cells easy to transport, maintain and supervise. Despite being as thin as a piece of paper, these fuel cells have the ability to provide a voltage of 1 volt individually, but can offer a higher voltage when assembled in stacks.

Together, Ris∅ DTU, Topsoe Fuel Cell and Dantherm Power have began designing and developing micro CHP plants that can be used in consumers' homes. These micro CHP plants will replace today's large CHP plants by being stacked together, and will balance energy in future energy systems. Ris∅ DTU develops the fuel cells, Topsoe Fuel Cell creates the engine and Dantherm Power builds "the rest of what is to surround the engine" in order to make a functional micro CHP plant.

Future energy systems will mainly consist of wind and solar power, but when the wind isn't blowing and the sun isn't shining, these micro CHP plants will step in to produce energy. They require a heat exchanger, a heat store and fresh air. Also, an electronic control will be used to connect the micro CHP plants to the grid.

"At the moment, we are developing compact micro CHP plants, similar to a conventional oil or gas furnace when it comes to generating heat for the home," said Jesper Themsen, technical director at Dantherm Power. "What's new about micro CHP plants is that they also produce the power the home needs. In this way, you avoid transmission loss in the electricity and district heating network.

In the spring of 2010 we produced a few micro CHP plants as part of the project 'Danish micro cogeneration.' Now we're doing tomorrow's micro CHP plant in cooperation with Topsoe Fuel Cell, and in October 2010, we produced two systems that we will put into operation among professional users, for example plumbers or electricians. People with craftsman experience who can help us solve the problems that naturally arise with the plants during the first phase."

The first plants will be powered by natural gas and will generate 1 kilowatt of power and 1 kilowatt of heat. In early 2011, Dantherm Power hopes to have seven micro CHP plants in operation, and in September 2011, they expect to have 15 new micro CHP plants.

"In 2012, we believe that SOFC micro CHP plants will be affordable and have the desired properties, allowing ordinary people to easily replace their old furnace with a SOFC micro CHP plant," said Themsen.

In 2015, Themsen believes SOFC micro CHP plants will be in most homes, and that they'll eventually use methanol, liquefied petroleum gas, or biofuels instead of natural gas. He hopes they'll take the place of generators that are powered by gas or diesel, and all at once, take up about as much space as a dishwasher in every household.