Kyocera Corp., Osaka Gas Co. Ltd., Aisin Seiki Co. Ltd., Chofu Seisakusho Co. Ltd. and Toyota Motor Corp. recently announced that they have completed co-development of a residential-use solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) co-generation system. The resulting product—ENE-FARM Type S—reportedly achieves a power generation efficiency of 46.5%, the highest level in the world for a residential-use fuel cell. The SOFC system has been developed based upon the companies’ advanced technologies. Within the co-development agreement, Kyocera produces the cell stack; Aisin the generation units with the incorporated cell stack ; and Chofu the hot-water supply and heating unit using exhausted heat. Osaka Gas will commence sales of the system on April 27 (only in the Japanese market). The companies will successively expand their production operations and will strive to promote the widespread use of this SOFC system.

ENE-FARM Type S uses a ceramic electrolyte for the power generating cell stack, which achieves a high operating temperature of 700-750ºC. This high-temperature heat can be efficiently used as energy to reform utility gas to hydrogen and thus a high power generation efficiency level of 46.5% is achieved—with an overall energy efficiency of 90%.

The SOFC system includes a hot-water supply and heating unit, which uses exhausted heat with a storage tank at a small size of 90 liters to optimally use the high-temperature heat exhausted during power generation. In addition, a high-efficiency latent heat recovery type hot-water supply heating unit is in place for the backup boiler.

For more information, visit http://global.kyocera.com/news/2012/0305_woec.html.