Manufacturing costs for planar solid oxide fuel cells

In this paper the authors calculate how much one can afford to pay for a fuel cell, and set quantitative performance and cost targets that if met, will result in SOFC technology where the performance is high enough and the cost is low enough to generate commercial interest. To do this, the authors first calculate how much one can afford to pay for a fuel cell stack in two important applications: small scale cogeneration (200 kW{sub e}) and large scale power generation (50 MW{sub e}). They then compare the cost of the materials needed to fabricate the fuel cell with the allowable cost. Finally, they use a mathematical model of fuel cell performance to quantify some of the improvements that will be needed if planar fuel cells are to operate efficiently at 800 C or below.