Development of a SOFC Hybrid System

Implementing future energy supply networks is strongly connected to the growth of power electronics technology, micro-generators and storage devices [1]. Their use in the near future to manage energy flows and assure the needed quality and supply security has become a necessity. With new technologies emerging and the existing ones evolving, the basis for having large centralised Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plants is slowly diminishing. Together with the increase in energy demand and the need to reduce CO2 emissions, the use of smaller decentralised CHP plants is becoming more interesting. Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC), thanks to their fuel flexibility (hydrogen, natural gas, propane, etc) are suitable for these aims [2-4]. From a storage point of view, in order to ensure increasing penetration of technologies related to renewable energies in decentralized generation, innovative devices that permit storage of the energy must be considered. The most efficient possibility is the combination of renewable energies, both with hydrogen technology, which permits the production, storage and subsequent use of the hydrogen to generate electricity, and secondary batteries [5]. The adoption of this concept of hybrid system as part of DER, which combines both fuel cell and energy storage units, can offer a suitable solution improving energy grid reliability, availability, and cost reduction.