Market for fuel cell technology in building cogeneration applications

Conference · Sat Dec 30 23:00:00 EST 1995

OSTI ID:170405

Teagan, W P; Marge, A L ^[1]

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1. Arthur D. Little, Inc., Cambridge, MA (United States)

The potential exists for fuel cell cogeneration systems to significantly reduce building energy consumption and costs by virtue of both high electric generation efficiency and use of recovered waste heat to meet space and water heating loads. However, to have significant impact in the market for building energy services, fuel cell cogeneration systems must compete with traditional energy sources. Technical and economic analyses of fuel cell cogeneration systems were carried out utilizing hourly building load profiles and a range of utility rate structures. The analyses were used to estimate the annual energy cost savings and associated economics for a range of commercial and residential building types operating in different parts of the country. The economic performance characteristics of the fuel cell cogeneration units, measured in terms of payback period, were combined with buyer purchase decision making criteria to estimate the market penetration into different building categories special attention was given to the impact of varying utility rate structures in order to assess the regional differences in market potential. The analyses indicated that fuel cell cogeneration markets in commercial buildings could reach 125 MW to over 250 MW annually if capital costs on an installed basis are reduced to $1,500/kW. Significantly larger markets would result if the benefits of fuel cell cogeneration within utility Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) process are recognized (i.e., some combination of capacity, transmission/distribution, and environmental credits). If technology advances result in further reducing capital costs so they approach $1,000/kW, the market potential would greatly increase and approach 250 MW to 1,000 MW (including IRP benefits) per year.

• OSTI ID: 170405
• Report Number(s): CONF-950729--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
CAPITALIZED COST
COGENERATION
COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS
DUAL-PURPOSE POWER PLANTS
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
ECONOMIC IMPACT
ELECTRIC UTILITIES
FUEL CELL POWER PLANTS
LOAD MANAGEMENT
OPERATING COST
RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS
SPACE HEATING
WATER HEATING