Abstract
Daimler (Mercedes-Benz) A-Class fuel cell vehicle. Courtesy of NREL/DOE, Credit - Keith Wipke - NREL Staff.
Fuel cells are electrochemical devices that combine hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity, water, and heat. Unlike batteries, fuel cells continuously generate electricity, as long as a source of fuel is supplied. Moreover, fuel cells do not burn fuel, making the process quiet, pollution-free and two to three times more efficient than combustion. Fuel cell systems can be a truly zero-emission source of electricity, if the hydrogen is produced from non-polluting sources. Global concerns about climate change, energy security, and air pollution are driving demand for fuel cell technology. More than 630 companies and laboratories in the United States are investing $1 billion a year in fuel cells or fuel cell component technologies. This report provides an overview of trends in the fuel cell industry and markets, including product shipments, market development, and corporate performance. It also provides snapshots of select fuel cell companies, including general business strategy and market focus, as well as, financial information for select publicly-traded companies.
Introduction
Fuel cells are electrochemical devices that combine hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity, water, and heat. Unlike batteries, fuel cells continuously generate electricity, as long as a source of fuel is supplied. Moreover, fuel cells do not burn fuel, making the process quiet, pollution-free and two to three times more efficient than combustion. Fuel cell systems can be a truly zero-emission source of electricity, if the hydrogen is produced from non-polluting sources.
Global concerns about climate change, energy security, and air pollution are driving demand for fuel cell technology. More than 630 companies and laboratories in the United States are investing $1 billion a year in fuel cells or fuel cell component technologies (source: Fuel Cell 2000).
There are three main markets for fuel cell technology: stationary power, transportation power, and portable power. Stationary power includes any application in which the fuel cells are operated at a fixed location, either for primary or for backup power, or for combined heat and power (CHP). Transportation applications include motive power for cars, buses and other fuel cell vehicles (FCV) and auxiliary power units (APUs) for highway and off-road vehicles, as well as specialty vehicles (e.g. forklifts). Portable power applications include the use of fuel cells not permanently installed or fuel cells in a portable device. Within these categories, and sometimes defying categorization, are an exceptional number of fuel cell applications being developed or demonstrated worldwide.
This report provides an overview of trends in the fuel cell industry and markets, including product shipments, market development, and corporate performance. It also provides snapshots of select fuel cell companies, including general business strategy and market focus, as well as, financial information for select publicly-traded companies. It is important to note that the performance of these companies may not reflect the performance of the industry as a whole. Many fuel cell companies are privately-held, with limited financial data publicly available. Similarly, other companies are business units or subsidiaries within much larger companies, such as United Technologies Corporation, Honda, Toyota, and General Motors. In such cases, financial and other information regarding the fuel cell business unit typically is not available.
Notable Stationary Power Applications
- A Pepperidge Farm bakery in Connecticut is using two fuel cells to meet 70 percent of its electricity needs.
- Fuel cells provide 1.4 MW of electricity and 6.3 million BTUs of heat for a Verizon call-routing center in New York, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 8,000 metric tons annually and saving more than $600,000 in utility bills during the first year.
- 1.2 MW of fuel cells (four units), along with a 1.4 MW solar array, provide the majority of the electricity requirements for a Sierra Nevada brewery and capture waste methane gas, substantially reducing the brewery's greenhouse gas emissions.
- A Whole Foods Market in Dedham, Massachusetts derives nearly 100 percent of its electricity and hot water from a 400 kW fuel cell.
- Gills Onions' processing facility captures waste biogas to generate 600 kW of power through a fuel cell.
- In Japan, more than 3,000 residential combined heat and power fuel cell units are in use, reducing household carbon dioxide emissions by more than 30 percent.
Read the complete report on the NREL website.
Contact Information
Authors: Bill Vincent
Affiliations: Breakthrough Technologies Institute in Washington, DC
Source: NREL
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