Generating electricity and heat by progressively increasing the share of hydrogen and biogas from renewable sources alongside natural gas.
A truly flexible SOFC platform, addressing the 5 kWe power class, that allows to integrate multiple SOFC stack technologies within any CHP system, fed with any fuel mixture ranging from natural gas to biogas to pure hydrogen.
image © Fraunhofer IKTS
Pre-certification of the multifuel SOFC-CHP will follow applicable EU and international directives and regulations and prepare for field test certification. The inputs from the demonstration tests will be used to inform the assessment pathway to full CE certification. The demonstration will prove the operation with high electrical efficiency and high heat quality under variable fuel mixtures and will measure system performance degradation.
The SO-FREE project is funded by the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking (JU) under the framework of the European Commission Horizon 2020 programme. SO-FREE aims to develop a fully future-ready solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC)-based system for combined heat and power (CHP) generation, this means a versatile system concept for efficient, near-zero-emission, fuel-flexible and truly modular power and heat supply to end users in the residential, commercial, municipal and agricultural sectors.
Broader Fuel Operation Window
Pre-certified SOFC-CHP system allowing an operation window from zero to 100% H2 in natural gas and with additions of purified biogas.
Stack-system Interface Standardization
Standardization of the stack module system interface, allowing full interchangeability of SOFC stack types within a given SOFC-CHP system, by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) as a new work item proposal (NWIP).
System Demonstration and Certification
Two stack system interoperability run for 9 months in order to assess compliance with all applicable certification requirements of a TRL 6 prototype and demonstration in operational environment providing combined heat and power with natural gas with injections of hydrogen at TRL7.
