Tuesday, April 1, 2008 - 9:10 AM

Strategies for Stationary Power Generation

Scott E. Grasman, John W. Sheffield, and Kevin B. Martin. Missouri University of Science & Technology

With funding support from the US Department of Energy, this project considers opportunities for hydrogen in stationary power applications with the goal of making recommendations related to research, development and demonstration (RD&D) strategies that incorporate lessons learned and best practices from relevant national and international efforts.  The study is analyzing different strategies utilized in power generation systems in order to identify the different challenges and opportunities for producing and using hydrogen as an energy carrier. As required, this strategy will provide an overview of stationary power markets and the benefits of hydrogen-based stationary power systems, as well as analyze potential combinations of hydrogen pathways and distributed power opportunities.  The understanding of competitive and technological issues related to feasible alternatives will allow for effective short and long term strategies for addressing the nation’s energy challenges. For example, the transition in the transportation sector to hydrogen could be hasten by decreasing the cost of hydrogen by increasing usage in order to reach higher economies of scale. Small scale natural gas reformers will continue to suffer from poor economics due to low utilization and scalability. Energy stations overcome this hurdle by baseloading the hydrogen generator with a fuel cell. The overall energy efficiency of these stations is increased due to the cogeneration of heat and electricity along with the production of hydrogen. This is of particularly interest because in the future, hydrogen-based stationary systems can help supply some or all of the power demanded with the additional advantages of higher reliability, lower emissions, independence from the general grid, and cogeneration capability.

Back to Poster Session
Back to Program

Back to The NHA Annual Hydrogen Conference 2008 (March 31-April 4 2008)