Fuel cells can play a major role in the energy market as a clean, highly efficient way to produce energy in decentralized power generation. Reliable fuel cell systems for continuous, off-grid energy supply open very promising export markets for the European fuel cell industry. The applications for this kind of fuel cell technology are characterized by key requirements such as low maintenance, long service life of components, capability of remote monitoring and reliable operation in critical applications like oil, gas or safety infrastructure. In addition, they are able to cope with harsh climate conditions both in cold and hot regions.
The overall objective of this project is to further develop and demonstrate solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) systems for off-grid power generation in markets, such as the gas and oil infrastructure in remote regions with harsh climate conditions (from -40 to +50°C), and the power supply of telecommunication towers especially in emerging countries (e.g. telecom base stations or microwave transceivers).
RoRePower will demonstrate robust SOFC power solutions beyond the state of the art.
RoRePower will:
- Provide solutions that meet all relevant requirements for remote power generation in harsh climate conditions
- Create credible operational and reliability track record for market introduction
- Create a route from prototypes to a commodity for robust and remote SOFC power solutions
- Offer reliable and long service life of systems in operation in both cold and hot regions
- Increase electrical efficiency and minimise emissions compared to the conventional systems, and consequently offer significant primary energy and carbon savings
- Reduce the Total cost of ownership (TCO) of off-grid power solutions for continuous demand from 0,5 to 5,0 kWe.
- Achieve cost reduction on both stack integration and the specific Balance of Plant (BOP) components
- Decrease maintenance costs and develop concepts for operation under remote monitoring and control
- Increase of trust towards new customer groups and improvement in the visibility as reliable and long lasting technology in the energy market
The overall objective is divided into specific objectives, which are clear, measurable and realistically achievable. In nature, they are technical, conceptual and economical.