The goal of the CRADA between the Lawrence Berkeley Lab (LBL) and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) is the development of a commercial thin-film solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). EPRI has enlisted the skills of an entrepreneurial start-up company, Ceramatec, located in Salt Lake City, UT, to facilitate transfer of the LBL technology to manufacturing. In this way, the unique capabilities of LBL team in the area of thin-film SOFCs are combined with the manufacturing talents of Ceramatec in planer SOFC technology. To date, development efforts are ahead of schedule with technical performance exceeding initial expectations. Commercialization of this technology looks promising.

Solid oxide fuel cells offer unique opportunities and financial incentives to penetrate the world energy market. SOFCs produce electricity through the direct oxidation of hydrogen produced through internal reforming of methane. North America has virtually unlimited reserves for the foreseeable future with natural gas as a fuel. Furthermore, there is an extremely well developed infrastructure for the distribution and delivery of natural gas to industrial and residential consumers. Fuel cells are low emission electricity providers, with the added benefit of waste heat to provide a co-generation economic benefit. SOFCs powered by natural gas are exceptionally attractive for distributed electric power generation. Gas turbine combined cycle power plants are presently used to produce electricity, at about 50% efficiency, from natural gas. SOFC power plants will be about 60% efficient. A 25% replacement of gas turbines by SOFCs would result in a yearly fuel savings of $250,000,000. This critical emerging technology could create jobs for thousands of U.S. workers.

For more information:

Cheryl Fragiadakis
(510) 486-6467; Fax: (510) 486-6457;
e-mail: cafragiadakis@lbl.gov