Topsoe Fuel Cell has this spring secured a total of EUR 2.3 million in funding from the ForskEL programme administered by Energinet.dk and from the Energy Research Programme administered by the Danish Energy Authority for two very important projects within the company’s solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) research, development and demonstration programme.

The aim of the project under the ForskEL programme, which is a continuation of earlier projects supported by Energinet.dk and has a total budget of EUR 3.6 million, is to further develop the SOFC technology and reduce manufacturing costs. The project includes a range of activities, some of them which are development of SOFC fuel cells with larger capacity and reduction of production costs by expansion of current equipment and reduction of rejection rates.

The activities under the ERP programme are centred on test and demonstration of larger SOFC fuel cells running on commercial fuels such as natural gas. A large test facility, supported by Energinet.dk, is being erected at the HC Ørsted power plant in Copenhagen, in close collaboration with the utility company DONG Energy, who owns the power plant. Together with DONG Energy, Topsoe Fuel Cell will test larger SOFC fuel cells and new fuel cell designs.

“These two projects are part of the key effort in our development platform,” explains Helge Holm-Larsen. “The activities relating to development of higher quality fuel cells, reduction of manufacturing costs and demonstration of the technology in a professional facility are fundamental for bringing our SOFC fuel cell technology to the market. We are very pleased that the Danish Energy Authority and Energinet.dk continue the support for our SOFC development activities. This confirms the confidence they have in our technology and in our ability to bring it to the market,” he continues.

The coming years will increase the technology demonstration activities. Together with Finnish Wärtsilä, a 20 kWe and a 50 kWe prototype will be demonstrated and together with partners in the Danish micro-CHP demonstration project, Topsoe Fuel Cell will demonstrate a number of 1 kWe micro-CHP plants running on natural gas.