Fuel cells as combined heat and power systems in commercial buildings: A case study in the food-retail sector. (1st September 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Acha, Salvador; Le Brun, Niccolo; Damaskou, Maria; Fubara, Tekena Craig; Mulgundmath, Vinay; Markides, Christos N.; Shah, Nilay
• Is Part Of: Energy. Volume 206(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-09-01
• Subjects: Combined heat and power system -- Commercial buildings -- Distributed generation -- Fuel cell -- Internal combustion engine -- Technology investment; Power resources -- Periodicals; Power (Mechanics) -- Periodicals; Energy consumption -- Periodicals; 333.7905
• DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2020.118046
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0360-5442

Abstract

Abstract: This work investigates the viability of fuel cells (FC) as combined heat and power (CHP) prime movers in commercial buildings with a specific focus on supermarkets. Up-to-date technical data from a FC manufacturing company was obtained and applied to evaluate their viability in an existing food-retail building. A detailed optimisation model for enhancing distributed energy system management described in previous work is expanded upon to optimise the techno-economic performance of FC-CHP systems. The optimisations employ comprehensive techno-economic datasets that reflect current market trends. Outputs highlight the key factors influencing the economics of FC-CHP projects. Furthermore, a comparative analysis against a competing internal combustion engine (ICE) CHP system is performed to understand the relative techno-economic characterisitcs of each system. Results indicate that FCs are becoming financially competitive although ICEs are still a more attractive option. For supermarkets, the payback period for installing a FC system is 4.7–5.9 years vs. 4.0–5.6 years for ICEs when policies are considered. If incentives are removed, FC-CHP systems have paybacks in the range 6–10 years vs. 5–8.5 years for ICE-based systems. A sensitivity analysis under different market and policy scenarios is performed, offering insights into the performance gap fuel cells face before becoming more competitive. Highlights: Optimisation model appraises a market-ready fuel cell CHP system in a supermarket. A like-for-like comparison of fuel cell CHP vs. combustion engine CHP is presented. Fuel cell CHP payback is 4.7–5.9 years with subsidies and 6–10 years without. Combustion engine CHP payback is 4–5.6 years with subsidies and 5–8.5 years without. Fuel cell CHP system uses 22% less fuel than the combustion engine CHP solution.