The twelve selected projects under DE-FOA-0002300, Small-Scale Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Systems and Hybrid Electrolyzer Technology Development, fall under three area of interest (AOIs).

AOI 1: Small-scale distributed power generation SOFC systems

(1) Modular Fuel Cells Providing Resiliency to Data Centers and Other Critical Power Users – Aris Energy Solutions, LLC (Mount Vernon, NY) and its partners, the National Energy Technology Laboratory, the University of West Virginia, Gaia Energy Research Institute, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration/West Virginia facility data center, and Velocity Data Centers, will advance the standard of modular SOFC systems and present a defined pathway toward DOE’s long-term goals of achieving price compression of SOFC systems through research, development, and demonstration. The project will emphasize progression from development toward deployment.

DOE Funding: $2,659,212; Non-DOE Funding: $204,315; Total Value: $2,863,527

(2) Improving Cost and Efficiency of the Scalable SOFC Power System – Cummins Inc. (Columbus, IN) and its partner, the University of Connecticut, will advance the research for small-scale SOFC power systems by designing and developing a 20kW small-scale SOFC power system for applications such as data centers and commercial buildings. The goal is to demonstrate pathways to sub-$1000/kW goals. The key components of the Cummins balance-of-plant-system include a cathode blower, an anode off-gas recirculation blower, a reformer, and heat exchangers.

DOE Funding: $2,601,046; Non-DOE Funding: $650,261; Total Value: $3,251,307        

(3) Small-Scale Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Systems and Hybrid Electrolyzer Technology Development –  Redox Power Systems, LLC (Beltsville, MD) and its partners, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and AVL Drivetrain Engineering, will use advanced lower temperature/higher power SOFC and high-performance balance-of-plant components to enable the wide-scale adoption of 5-25kW systems for distributed generation (DG) applications. The goals are to make significant progress toward the commercialization of SOFCs for DG applications through the development of a ≥7kW system prototype demonstrator and to reduce the system’s cost to a level on par with alternate technologies at lower production volumes.

DOE Funding: $2,660,653; Non-DOE Funding: $675,495; Total Value: $3,336,148

AOI 2: Hybrid systems using solid oxide systems for hydrogen and electricity production

(4) Low Cost, Large Area SOEC Stack for H2 & Chemicals – Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (Richland, WA) and its partner, the University of California–San Diego, will fabricate and demonstrate operation of an efficient 2-5kW solid oxide electrolyzer cell (SOEC) that is able to utilize steam to produce hydrogen, or to utilize steam and carbon dioxide to produce synthesis gas in electrolysis mode. For successful implementation, commercially viable systems must factor in cost, reliability, and lifetime. The objectives of this three-year project are to lower the cost of SOEC stack production and to improve stack performance and durability, which will help accelerate commercialization and market adoption.  

DOE Funding: $3,000,000; Non-DOE Funding: $-; Total Value: $3,000,000

(5) Efficient, Reliable and Cost-Effective Reversible Solid Oxide Cell Technology for Hydrogen and Electricity Production –  The University of California, U.C. San Diego  (La Jolla, CA) and its partner, OxEon Energy, will develop and demonstrate an efficient, reliable, and cost-effective reversible solid oxide cell (RSOC) technology for production of hydrogen from steam and electricity from natural gas. This novel RSOC technology is based on a compact and low-cost stack architecture that incorporates high-performance and fuel-flexible reversible cells for efficient operation in both fuel cell (power generation) and electrolysis (hydrogen production) modes.

DOE Funding: $2,999,125; Non-DOE Funding: $88,044; Total Value: $3,087,169

(6) Performance Improvements for Reversible Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Systems – FuelCell Energy, Inc. (Danbury, CT) and its partner, the Center for Power Electronics Systems at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), will work to advance high efficiency and low cost reversible solid oxide fuel cell (RSOFC) system technology for the hybrid operation of water electrolysis for hydrogen production, as well as for power generation using hydrogen. Research in three areas will be pursued concurrently: (1) improvements to the fundamental repeat unit materials in the RSOFC stack (cell, seal, interconnects, and coatings) to improve efficiency and reduce degradation; (2) stack design improvements, particularly in the area of thermal management, which offer the potential for improved degradation characteristics and/or increased power density; and (3) advanced fuel cell power management technology.

DOE Funding: $3,000,000; Non-DOE Funding: $675,000; Total Value: $3,675,000

(7) Reversible Solid Oxide Fuel Cell System – NexTech Materials, Ltd. dba Nexceris, LLC (Lewis Center, OH) and its partners, Northwestern University and the Colorado School of Mines, will scale reversible solid oxide (RSOC) stack technology to the prototype system level and demonstrate world-class performance to achieve hydrogen production costs of less than $2/kg at a large-scale system level (100 kW or larger). Nexceris’ cell and stack technology will be utilized in this project. Northwestern University will contribute fundamental knowledge of RSOC fuel electrode materials and conduct long-term pressurized testing on button cells before the impacts of pressurization are assessed in RSOC stacks. The Colorado School of Mines will contribute its RSOC system design, pressurized stack testing capabilities, and system techno-economic analysis based on the demonstration system tests in the project.    

DOE Funding: $3,000,000; Non-DOE Funding: $750,000; Total Value: $3,750,000