Cost Analysis of Heavy-Duty Vehicle Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Stationary Power Plants

Technical Report · Mon Feb 09 00:00:00 EST 2026

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/3018256· OSTI ID:3018256

Reznicek, Evan ^[1]; Berres, Andreas ^[1]; Li, Yijin ^[1]; Ramasamy, Vignesh ^[1]; Penev, Michael ^[1]; Chung, Mark ^[1]; Baldwin, Samuel ^[1]

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1. National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), Golden, CO (United States)

Heavy-duty PEM fuel cells could be a low-cost, low emission alternative to combustion turbines for re-electrifying hydrogen if used as part of a long duration grid energy storage systems. Many studies expect heavy duty PEM fuel cell production costs to reduce as manufacturing volumes ramp up and their expected durability of 25,000-30,000 hours aligns well with a 30-year life for hydrogen seasonal energy storage plants that would likely operate less than 10% of the year. The labor, material, and equipment costs associated with installing PEM fuel cells and their required balance of plant for stationary applications have not been thoroughly explored, however. This study performs a detailed design and cost analysis of a 100 MW stationary PEM fuel cell power plant, capturing costs such as cooling, power electronics, pipes, valves, fittings, cabling, conduit, concrete foundations, buildings, and land. It employs methods consistent with NLR's solar PV benchmarking cost analysis and annual technology baseline to derive the total installed costs of stationary PEM fuel cell plants that utilize heavy duty PEM fuel cells.

• Research Organization: National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), Golden, CO (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Strategic Analysis Team; USDOE Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation (CMEI)
• DOE Contract Number: AC36-08GO28308
• OSTI ID: 3018256
• Report Number(s): NLR/TP--5400-91146
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

08 HYDROGEN
25 ENERGY STORAGE
balance of plant
balance of system
hydrogen
long duration energy storage
PEM fuel cell
total installed cost