NETL expertise in energy conversion engineering was front-and-center at the 17th International Symposium on Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC-XVII) digital meeting, held July 18-23, 2021, as NETL SOFC Technical Portfolio Lead Gregory Hackett, Ph.D., co-chaired the “Cell, Stack, and System Modeling and Simulation” session and served as moderator for a live Q&A event with conference participants.

SOFCs are an important technology option for reaching decarbonization goals of carbon-free power production by 2035 and a net-zero economy by 2050.

Electrochemical devices that convert the chemical energy of a fuel and oxidant directly into electrical energy, SOFCs produce electricity through an electrochemical reaction and not through a combustion process. They are much more efficient and environmentally benign than conventional electric power generation processes, and their inherent characteristics make them uniquely suitable to address the environmental, climate change, and water concerns associated with fossil fuel based electric power generation.

NETL’s Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Program maintains a portfolio of research and development projects that address the technical issues facing the commercialization of SOFC technology and pilot-scale testing projects intended to validate the solutions to those issues.

As session co-chair, Hackett, from NETL’s Energy Process Analysis Team, provided technical review, acceptance decisions and merit evaluation of over 20 manuscript transactions, four of which were selected to participate in the live Q&A event. Hackett and co-chair Jack Brouwer from the University of California, Irvine, also moderated discussion during the Q&A event.

“It was an honor to represent NETL at this event while serving as co-chair for the session on SOFC modeling and simulation. Being selected for this opportunity recognizes NETL’s influence in this technical space, and it was rewarding to network and discuss innovation in this technology area that is critical for meeting clean energy goals,” Hackett said.

Sponsored by the Electrochemical Society and The SOFC Society of Japan, the International Symposium on Solid Oxide Fuel Cells has been the preeminent meeting on SOFC science, technology and applications for over 30 years, consistently attracting hundreds of the leaders in the field. The five-day event featured learning, networking and collaborating.

NETL is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory that drives innovation and delivers technological solutions for an environmentally sustainable and prosperous energy future. By leveraging its world-class talent and research facilities, NETL is ensuring affordable, abundant and reliable energy that drives a robust economy and national security, while developing technologies to manage carbon across the full life cycle, enabling environmental sustainability for all Americans.