Field-test performance of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) for residential cogeneration applications

Much needed energy transition brings special focus on fuel cell micro-combined Heat and Power (mCHP) systems for residential uses, one of which is a SOFC, fed by natural gas, designed to provide continuously 1.5 kWel (up to about 13 000 kWh yearly). However, this constant power output can be modulated as desired down to 500 Wel. With this machine, heat can also be recovered to partially contribute to the heat demand of the household. One main advantage of this appliance is that the heat recovery system is designed to be purely optional and it can be shut down, removed or added as wanted, even if the machine is running. The machine is driven and completely monitored by the manufacturer from distance. This study is monitoring two of those installations in residential houses in Belgium for the whole year 2021. It focuses on the comparison of the actual field test performance with the targets expected for this technology, electrical efficiency of 60% at nominal power output being the main selling argument that has been verified in the real onsite applications studied in this work.
Since the financial incentive represents a major factor in the investor’s decision towards such a technological investment, focus is brought on an economic indicator based on an average Belgian household energy bill, with promising results of about 1,3-1,4 k€ of utilization cost savings per year. At last, ecological indicators are established in an attempt to foresee the place this mCHP technology in the energy transition challenge of today towards the carbon neutral future everyone should aim for. The ecological balances can either be considered as positive, if the system is supposed to replace Combined-Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) power plant electrical production, or negative, compared to the actual Belgian electrical mix.