The role of fuel cells in buildings as a part of sustainable energy systems

Christian Jungbluth, Stephan Ramesohl, and Claus Barthel, Wuppertal Institute for Climate

Keywords

Abstract

In the near future, fuel cells (FC) will be introduced into the market as decentralised, highly efficient energy sources (electricity and heat) both for single-family homes and larger buildings. However, FC are only one component of a wide range of options for sustainable energy supply in buildings, so that their possible contribution has to be analysed within the context of the building as a whole and the surrounding (local) energy system. This paper investigates the role of FC in buildings as part of the overall energy system and discusses the implications for energy policies.

It is the objective:

to provide a brief overview of the state of the art of fuel cell heating systems and the operation conditions;
to analyse the performance of fuel cells compared with other options of domestic energy supply;
to investigate the interdependencies and new relations which result from the integration of fuel cells into the energy system, especially into the power grid;
to point out decisive determinants of market introduction;
and, to identify policy implications and recommendations on how to enhance the diffusion of fuel cell heating systems.