PEM fuel cell systems for distributed energy: Actual performance, lifetime and reliability of a pure hydrogen pre-commercial system

In the framework of a national research program the development of fuel cell systems ranging from 1 to 5 kW of power and based on either solid polymer (PEFC) or solid oxide (SOFC) technology are in progress. In this paper, the demonstration of pre-commercial PEFC systems fed with hydrogen and developed in cooperation with NUVERA is described. The systems have been evaluated in order to determine theirs limits and capacity in relation to start-up time, response time, consumption, efficiency, reliability, etc. It has currently reached 2, 000 working hours of continuous performance with variable loads that simulate those of a typical residential dwelling. © The Electrochemical Society.