Abstract
Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) can play an indispensable role in the futurist’s hydrogen economy. SOFC operating at 800–1,000°C is a very efficient power source because the heat generated from SOFCs can be used for co-generation of power with a turbine and the rejected heat can still be used for heating. Thus, it is envisioned that large-scale stationary SOFC systems can achieve a high energy efficiency (>60%) and high fuel efficiency (>80%). Due to their high operating temperatures, SOFCs can directly utilize biofuels, natural gas, syngas (H2 + CO), and hydrogen for power generation or operate on reformate from a relatively simple fuel processor. Thus, deployment of SOFC technology does not depend on availability of hydrogen transport and storage technologies. The major obstacles for deployment of SOFCs are the high manufacture costs, voluminous structure, and limited reliability and durability. Should these obstacles be removed, SOFCs can be universal power sources for diver-sified and decentralized large-scale energy sources that are available during the transition period to and in the hydrogen economy.