Current legal and institutional issues in the commercialization of phosphoric-acid fuel cells
This report identifies and assesses legal and institutional factors affecting the development and commercial diffusion of phosphoric acid fuel cells, and suggests issues for future research and action. Perceived barriers and potential opportunities for fuel cells in central and dispersed utility operations and on-site applications are reviewed, as well as the general concept of commercialization as applied to emerging energy technologies. Federal fuel use and pricing policies under the Powerplant and Industrial Fuel Use Act of 1978 and the Natural Gas Policy Act are found not to prohibit or seriously deter the use of natural gas or petroleum derivatives in most fuel cell applications. The Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978, requiring electric utilities to purchase power from qualifying cogenerators at their avoided cost, provides attractive opportunities to leverage the value of fuel cells in certain settings, and has important implications for demonstration and market assessment activities, as well as for the design and sizing of fuel cell systems. Clean Air Act regulations permit the fuel cell's low-polluting characteristics to be translated into tangible economic value, especially for larger fuel cell applications in regions with poor air quality and active offset trading and banking programs. These findings, too, bear on market assessment activities. The legal and regulatory barriers and opportunities examined have differing implications for different participants in fuel cell commercialization. Specific issues relevant to particular groups are examined and recommendations for action are offered.
- Research Organization:
- California Univ., Berkeley (USA). Earl Warren Legal Inst.
- DOE Contract Number:
- AI01-80ET17088
- OSTI ID:
- 5205360
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/NASA/0111-1; NASA-CR-167867; ON: DE82018308
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Portions of document are illegible
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
ACID ELECTROLYTE FUEL CELLS
COMMERCIALIZATION
REGULATIONS
FUEL CELL POWER PLANTS
CLEAN AIR ACT
INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS
LEGAL ASPECTS
MARKETING RESEARCH
ON-SITE POWER GENERATION
PHOSPHORIC ACID
POWER PLANT AND INDUSTRIAL FUEL USE ACT
PRICING REGULATIONS
PUBLIC UTILITY REGULATORY POLICIES ACT
SIZING
USES
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS
FUEL CELLS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
LAWS
NATIONAL ENERGY ACT
POLLUTION LAWS
POWER GENERATION
POWER PLANTS
300501* - Fuel Cells- Design & Development
299000 - Energy Planning & Policy- Unconventional Sources & Power Generation