Fuji Electric has been developing various type fuel cell in 1960’s and has delivered 137 100kW phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC) power systems since 1998 as commercial base. In 2010, Fuji Electric launched the new model FP-100i, newly and fully developed. This paper describes the history of PAFC development. Next it describes the number of units delivered and operation results of Fuji’s 100kW PAFC power systems.

DMFC (Direct Methanol Fuel Cell) is a kind of PEFC (Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell) in which methanol is used as the fuel without reforming. The advantage of DMFC is a simple configuration of the power supply system, whereas the weak point of DMFC is low power density. Component parts of DMFC are described. Methanol is useful liquid as hydrogen or energy carrier. The characteristics of DMFC is suitable for use in emergency power supply and independent power supply.

High temperature solid oxide proton conductors are promising materials for both solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOEC). In this paper, the development history and future prospects of the proton conductors are reviewed. In section 1, features and challenges of oxide ion and proton conductive SOFC/SOEC are described based on their working mechanisms. In section 2, proton conductive mechanism is explained. In section 3, history and the current status of proton conductor development is described. In section 4, the effect of adding proton conductors into the fuel electrode of oxide ion conductive SOFC is explained. In the section 5, we briefly summarize computational approaches suitable for the modeling of solid proton conductors are introduced. So far, many proton conductors have been developed focusing on perovskite or perovskite related structures. However, the practical application is still difficult. To achieve higher performance, in particular proton conductivity and stability, other types of materials should also be explored. Understanding proton conduction in solid oxides with the help of computations will help rational design of novel proton conductors. Better quantitative evaluation methods of the effect of proton conductor addition into fuel electrodes will be also developed.

Potential and challenges direct formic acid fuel cell (DFAFC) as a power system with environmentally friendly was discussed in this paper. Formic acid can be produced from various routes, such as a waste from the paint factory, hydrogenation of carbon dioxide, electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide and biogas. All these methods are regarded as “Environmentally friendly technique”; hence, formic acid is regarded as environmentally friendly fuel. We focused on the direct use of formic acid by DFAFC since the cost and the loss by the conversion process can be reduced. DFAFC can generate higher power density comparing to the other direct liquid type fuel cell, however, its power density is still far from that of polymer electrolyte fuel cell. In order to improve the power generation characteristics, it was found that the anode activation loss and anode mass transport loss should be improved. Therefore, the novel catalyst, which is a Pd supported by a nanoparticle containing carbon nano fiber, has been developed, and the porous properties of the anode porous electrode have been controlled. Through these studies, we believe that DFAFC is one of promising environmentally friendly power sources and it will be implemented socially in near future.

Direct ammonia type intermediate temperature fuel cell is examined by means of a hydrogen membrane fuel cell (HMFC) comprising 1 𝜇m-thick BaZr_0.1Ce_0.7Y_0.2O₃₋₅ (BZCY) thin film electrolyte, and Pd solid anode. It generates the maximum power density of 0.58 W cm^-2 at 600℃ with ammonia fuels, and this value is found to be three times larger than the champion data of the recently-reported direct ammonia type proton-conducting ceramic fuel cells (PCFCs). AC impedance spectroscopy is performed to determine the interfacial polarization resistances, disclosing that the anodic overpotentials of HMFCs are at least one order of magnitude smaller than those of anode-supported PCFC under relatively high DC outputs. The anode charge transfer reactions are driven by the oxidation of monoatomic hydrogen dissolves at the BZCY/Pd solid-solid interface, mediated via proton transfer from Pd to BZCY. The electrochemical analysis reveals that the proton pumping caused by the BZCY/Pd heterojunction facilitates the incorporation of proton from Pd side and thus the pyrolysis of NH₃ gas is promoted in order retain the high concentration of H dissolves near the heterojunction. This would decrease the anode concentration overpotentials.

The high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) is a next-generation innovative reactor with excellent safety. Hydrogen can be produced from raw materials such as water and methane by supplying heat, steam, and electricity generated by HTGR to the hydrogen production process. Hydrogen production methods using high-temperature heat, which are the advantage of HTGR, include a steam reforming of methane, high-temperature steam electrolysis, and thermochemical water decomposition. This report provides an overview of the high-temperature gas-cooled reactors and their hydrogen production technologies, as well as the status and prospects of research and development of HTGR’s hydrogen production technologies in JAEA.

A fuel cell (FC) system simulator, named FC-DynaMo, was developed for the multi-purpose applications such as passenger and commercial vehicles, stationary power generator, construction, railway, marine, and aviation. FC-DynaMo includes the models of the FC stack, the subsystems of H₂, air, and cooling, and the related controllers, where the specifications of the state-of-the-art fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV), 2nd-generation MIRAI are reproduced. It gives the comprehensive interactions between the specification of the materials, system components, and controllers. FC-DynaMo will save the significant cost and efforts for the iterative prototyping and testing activity.

In the United States, the Department of Energy is promoting research and development on hydrogen production, supply, storage, fuel cells, and multiple end uses across the transportation, industrial, and power sectors. In addition, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) have been enacted as hydrogen support policies, and efforts are underway to establish a hydrogen supply chain through large-scale financial support. This report describes policy trends related to the “Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs (H2Hubs) Program,” for which development plans have been presented in various regions of the U.S., as well as the status of efforts in various regions of the U.S.