Operation experiences of a phosphoric acid fuel cell in a solar hydrogen energy system

A phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC) has been connected to a small-scale autonomous solar hydrogen energy system. The performance of the fuel cell has been studied by using its current-voltage curves and energy balance calculations. According to the operation experiences, the advantages of the PAFC are its ability to use air as the oxidant, compact design without electrolyte loop, and high value waste heat. On the other hand, the disadvantages are the need of pre-heating and the open-end stack construction which cause significant energetic losses and decrease the operational efficiency.