200 kW Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) Prototype System Overview

As a part of the collaboration between NETL and the City of Pittsburgh, a 200 kW Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) prototype system for power generation designed and built by FuelCell Energy was installed and operated at Clearway Energy Center on the North Side of Pittsburgh from March – October 2019. The SOFC prototype system was funded by a cost shared DOE Cooperative Agreement.

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) are electrochemical devices that convert chemical energy of a fuel and oxidant directly into electrical energy. Since 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. Their inherent characteristics make them uniquely suitable to address the environmental, climate change, and water concerns associated with fossil fuel based electric power generation.