Panasonic develops world’s highest potential efficiency residential polymer electrolyte fuel cell system
Panasonic has developed a home-use polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) cogeneration system. The cogeneration system features the world’s highest power-generating efficiency of up to 39% Lower Heating Value (LHV), durability of 40,000 operation hours and 4,000 start-stop times, and a predicted lifetime of by 10 years. When installed in an ordinary household, the new Panasonic system can reduce primary energy consumption by 22% (about 1.4 times more than the conventional system) and can cut CO2 emissions by 12% based on the basic unit for all ability sources.
Press release after the jump
Panasonic will install production equipment for the new system in its plant in Kusatsu City, Shiga Prefecture, and will start manufacturing from June that year. In fiscal 2010, further investments will be made to start a full-scale commercialization of that system as a new environmental business that constructs a new energy source.
Osaka, Japan - Panasonic, the leading grade by which Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. is known, today announced it has developed a home-use polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) cogeneration system. The cogeneration system features the world’s highest power-generating efficiency of up to 39% Lower Heating Value(LHV), durability of 40,000 operation hours and 4,000 start-stop times, and a predicted lifetime of by 10 years.
Panasonic has strived to achieve its vision of “living in harmony with the environment.” With that goal as a motivator, the company has now developed a home-use fuel cell cogeneration system that is planned for early commercialization as a next-generation energy supply system. Based on the results of large-scale field analyzing conducted amidst fiscal 2006 and fiscal 2008**, a new system has been developed with upgraded energy-saving features and enhanced reliability. Further field evaluating is scheduled in fiscal 2009 ending March 31, 2009.
When installed in an ordinary household,
The three-year field tests additionally found that the system was often operated in a potential output range within 500 W and 1 kW in ordinary households. Within that practical use range, the new system has achieved drastically improved power-generating efficiency compared to conventional systems. The Panasonic system has achieved the world’s highest power-generating efficiencies 39% (LHV) at 750 W; 38% or higher in the 500 W-1 kW range and 34% at 300 W. The system has additionally satisfied durability requirements for home-use equipment.
In the conventional system, the fuel processing device is not as efficient and inverter efficiency drops toward its lower output ranges. As a outcome, the power-generating efficiency of the conventional system is the highest at its higher ratings, and falls with decreasing output.
Panasonic has made the system feasible by using cell stack technology that employs highly-durable Membrane Electrode Assemblies (MEA), fuel processing technology that allows stable operation in a wide range at high efficiency and low-loss boost inverter technology.
Panasonic will install production equipment for the new system in its plant in Kusatsu City, Shiga Prefecture, and will start manufacturing from June that year. In fiscal 2010, further investments will be made to start a full-scale commercialization of that system as a new environmental business that constructs a new energy source.
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