Fuel Cell Electrical Generation Summary   
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You may soon be able to put a power plant in your home. Fuel cell technology is under development that could permit a freezer chest-sized fuel cell to power an entire home. Fuel cells have very low emissions and, in residential applications, are expected to compete with current electricity costs depending on the costs of natural gas and electricity in a given region. While fuel cells are not yet commercially available for residential use, they are available for large scale power production and may be commercially available for residential use in 2003.
Disclaimer: The information on the system, product or material presented herein is provided for informational purposes only. The technical descriptions, details, requirements, and limitations expressed do not constitute an endorsement, approval, or acceptance of the subject matter by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD/FHA), The Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH), or any PATH-affiliated Federal agency or private company. There are no warranties, either expressed or implied, regarding the accuracy or completeness of this information. Full reproduction, without modification, is permissible.
Details A fuel cell is a device that converts the energy of fuel into direct current (DC) electrical energy without the need for combustion. A conventional power plant produces electricity by burning a fossil fuel that turns a generator. Fuel cells bypass the combustion and generating processes by simply converting hydrogen to electricity, in a similar way as a battery. Since hydrogen is almost always found combined with other elements, a fuel such as natural gas, methane, propane, ethanol, gasoline, or other fuels is used to extract hydrogen from for use in the fuel cell. When fossil fuels are used to produce hydrogen, other byproducts are produced, such as CO2 and in some cases small amounts of NOx, SOx, and particulate matter. These byproducts are much less than those produced by burning these fuels to produce electricity. Fuel cells are much less polluting and about twice as efficient as typical steam-turbine electricity production. A fuel cell consists of two electrodes separated by a membrane. Hydrogen passes over one electrode and oxygen over the other. The electrode surface has a catalyst that splits the hydrogen gas into protons and electrons. The protons only can pass through the membrane and react with the oxygen and electrons on the other side to make water. The electrons cannot pass through the membrane and, in the process of bypassing the membrane, produce electricity for use in the home. A 5 to 7 kW residential fuel cell prototype is about the size of a freezer chest and can provide enough electricity for a typical 2,000 square foot home. Waste heat from the fuel cell could be used to produce hot water or space heat for a home, thereby increasing the overall efficiency of the fuel cell system. Fuel cells not only offer an efficient means of generating electricity from fossil fuels, but also have very low emissions. Up to 80 percent of the energy obtained from fuel can be converted to usable electric power and heat (compared with about 35 percent from a central power plant).
Installation When residential fuel cells are available, they may be installed in basements or outside. Connections for a fuel gas line and electrical supply to the home will be necessary. Some fuel cells will require a drain for excess water. Other fuel cell designs will use all of the water produced by the fuel cell internally. Waste heat from the fuel cell may be used for hot water production or simply vented to the outdoors.
Benefits/Costs Fuel cells are a very clean and efficient power supply when compared to other fossil fuel energy production methods. With fuel cells, weather-related power outages will be minimized. Target cost for residential fuel cells is $1500 per kW. Electricity from a 2-kW system at this initial cost would provide power at 8 to 10 cents per kWh over the lifetime of the fuel cell.
Limitations Fuel cells are currently expensive, and residential-sized systems are not yet commercially available.
Code/Regulatory National Electric Code (NEC) and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) codes will apply to fuel cells used for residential applications. The regulations concerning the interconnection of fuel cells with the home electrical system are being developed, but are not yet standardized.
Availability Currently, residential fuel cells are under development and not commercially available. Residential trials are expected to start in 2003.
Contact(s) Click here for reports: Do you have a specific question about this technology and/or its 'real life' applications? Try the contacts listed below: UTC Fuel Cells
195 Governors Highway
South Windsor, CT 06074
860-383-5235
Fax: 860-727-2319
www.utcfuelcells.com/ Avista Laboratories, Inc.
Avista Corporation
1411 East Mission - MS18
P.O. Box 3727
Spokane, WA 99220-3727
509-495-4817
Fax 509-495-8725
www.avistalabs.com Ballard Power Systems, Inc.
9000 Glenlyon Parkway
Burnaby, BC Canada V5J 5J9
604-412-3195
Fax: 604-412-4700
www.ballard.com Ceramatec (SOFCo)
2425 South 900 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84119
801-972-2455
Fax: 801-972-1925
www.ceramatec.com Dais Analytic Corporation
11552 Prosperous Dr.
Odessa, FL 33556
727-375-8484
Fax: 727-375-8485
www.daisanalytic.com Energy Partners, L.C.
1501 Northpoint Parkway
Suite 102
Technology Center
West Palm Beach, FL 33407
561-688-0500
Fax 561-688-9610 Fuel Cell Energy, Inc. (formerly Energy Research Corporation)
3 Great Pasture Road
Danbury, CT 06813
203-825-6000
www.fuelcellenergy.com Fuel Cells 2000
1625 K Street, NW
Suite 725
Washington, D.C. 20006
202-785-4222
Fax: 202-785-4313
www.fuelcells.org SOFCo-EFS
1562 Beeson Street
Alliance, OH 44601-2196
330-829-7878
www.sofco-efs.com/ Plug Power, Ltd.
968 Albany- Shaker Road
Latham, NY 12110
518-782-7700
Fax: 518-782-9060
www.plugpower.com Ztek Corporation
300 West Cummings Park
Woburn, MA 01801
781-933-8339
FAX: 781-933-8396
www.ztekcorp.com Reliant Energy
713 207-3000
www.reliantenergy.com | 
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