U.S. DOE Fossil Energy Fuel Cell Program

The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory, in partnership with private industry, educational institutions, and national laboratories, is leading the research, development, and demonstration of high efficiency, fuel flexible solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) and coal based SOFC power generation systems for stationary markets. This Fuel Cell Program has three parts: Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance (SECA) cost reduction, SECA fuel cell coal based systems, and advanced SECA systems. The SECA cost reduction goal is to have SOFCs capable of being mass manufactured at $400 per kilowatt by 2010. Concurrently, the scale-up, aggregation, and integration of the technology will progress in parallel leading to prototype validation of megawatt class products by 2012 with potential testing at FutureGen. The SECA coal-based and advanced systems goals are the development of megawatt-class fuel cell power systems that will enable affordable, reliable, efficient, and environmentally-friendly electrical power from coal.