Funded by a $2-million grant from the US Department of Energy, a team of scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) led by Eric Masanet is building a sophisticated cost model for fuel cells that will will take into account the total cost of ownership.
The project will cover two types of fuel cells—solid oxide and proton-exchange-membrane—in systems of up to 250 kW. While vehicles are a common application for fuel cells, there is demand for stationary applications such as primary and backup power for commercial and residential buildings. This project will look at several specific stationary markets, including backup power, baseload power and combined heat and power, as well as forklifts. Success with forklifts could lead to bigger transportation markets.