The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) announced up to $4 million in federal funding for research and development (R&D) projects to advance reversible solid oxide fuel cell systems (R-SOFC) using clean hydrogen. This technology is considered a strong option to replace fossil fuels in shipping.
Technology advanced under this FOA will support DOE’s Hydrogen Shot initiative, which seeks to reduce the cost of clean hydrogen by 80% to $1 per 1 kilogram in one decade to enable the commercial development of new, clean hydrogen pathways in the United States.
Solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOEC) use electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen and can be used for high-temperature hydrogen production. These cells operate in reverse of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) in which fuel (usually hydrogen) is fed to the anode side of the cell, and air is supplied to the cathode side. At high temperatures, the fuel reacts with oxygen ions from the air, producing water vapor, heat, and electricity. The only byproduct of hydrogen fuel is water. The DOE said R-SOFC power systems can be configured to designs that capture carbon dioxide at the pipeline.
The shipping industry is responsible for roughly 3% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, primarily from the burning of fossil fuels. Solid oxide fuel cell technology is considered a promising alternative because it provides enough clean power to allow ships to travel long distances without refueling. Clean hydrogen production could also help islands and port communities grow their economies while increasing their sustainability.
R-SOFC has many energy efficiency and clean energy applications, including hydrogen production, hydrogen energy storage, energy conversion and storage for renewable and surplus energy, microgrids, combined heat and power, and more.
“To meet the Biden-Harris Administration’s ambitious climate goals, we must increase the efficiency and lower the cost of technologies that produce and use low-carbon fuels like hydrogen,” said Brad Crabtree, Assistant Secretary of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management. “FECM is investing in research to test solid oxide fuel cells in various clean energy applications to help bring down costs and improve the commercial viability of this versatile technology.”
Projects selected under this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) will help to achieve a low long-term degradation rate in high-temperature R-SOFC systems by performing research on the following two areas of interest:
- SOFC and SOEC R&D for reduced long-term degradation at high current density and high steam utilization. Understanding and minimizing the lifetime degradation rate for solid oxide cells operating reversibly in both SOFC and SOEC modes, instead of strictly one mode or the other.
- SOFC and SOEC component materials thermodynamic database. The measurements of thermodynamic properties of SOFC and SOEC component materials that can be used to develop stable electrochemical systems, while maintaining high performance; the objective is to expand the thermodynamic database related to SOFCs and SOECs.
