SOFC in Brief

The solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) has existed for almost 100 years. The research on SOFC started as early as the 1930s, with the most prominent work of Baur and his colleagues particularly driven by the discovery of appreciable ionic conductivity of the so called Nernst mass – doped zirconia. However, this type of fuel cell only obtained strong interest from the 1970s. It seemingly holds potential for electrical efficiencies as high as 55%; up to 70% and 90% in hybrid configuration with gas turbines and combined heat & power (CHP) generation, respectively. The SOFC has the potential for application in transportation, too, for example, in vehicular auxiliary power units (APU). Current SOFC technology demonstrates viable manufacture, feasible power ranges and applications. This has been accompanied by developments of new concepts, cell and stack designs, advanced and cost effective processing methods and improved and novel materials.