Prospects for cost-competitive integrated gasification fuel cell systems

Surinder P. Singh, Brandon Ohara and Anthony Y. Ku

Applied Energy, 2021, vol. 290, issue C, No S0306261921002634

Abstract: Does generation of zero-carbon electricity from coal make sense for a decarbonized grid? Coal-based integrated gasification fuel cell systems with CO2 capture have the potential to participate in future decarbonized power grids. Over the next decade, such systems are scheduled to progress from a conceptual scheme to its first demonstration projects in China and Japan. A key issue in the long-term viability of the technology will be reducing costs so they are competitive against other forms of zero-carbon electricity; in addition, the systems must be able to operate as part of low carbon grids. We systematically evaluate the major on-going research directions, and rank them according to their economic potential, degree of technical challenge, and possible synergies with other efforts to transition to low-carbon energy systems worldwide. Our analysis indicates that the most promising pathway to making integrated gasification fuel cell technologies cost-competitive against other forms of low-carbon electricity is co-deployment of solid oxide fuel cell technologies in integrated gasification fuel cell cycle and distributed energy applications to expand the scale of production to a level that benefits both areas. Other avenues based on system optimization or improvements in fuel cell performance or degradation through materials development can help, but cannot by themselves deliver cost-competitive electricity absent an order of magnitude reduction in the cost of solid oxide fuel cell components.

Keywords: IGFC; SOFC; Decarbonized system; Technoeconomic analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2021.116753

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