Demonstration project of fuel cells and energy networks in residential dwellings

The concept on the interconnection of residential homes by the energy networks including electricity, heat (hot water), and hydrogen into a group of residential homes where some homes have fuel cells has been proposed by authors previously. The networks connect fuel cell stacks, fuel processors, which make hydrogen from natural gas, and other equipment and allow the homes to share the equipment. It provides flexible and efficient operation of the equipment: the partial load operation and the start-stop operation which damage the efficiency or the life time of fuel processors are reduced, while fuel cell stacks always vary their output to match the load of the homes. An experimental system, a PC simulator, and mathematical models were constructed in the authors' laboratory to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the proposal. A demonstration project has been planned at existing residential dwellings to evaluate the proposal as the next stage of the research. The apartment house that the demonstration will be taken place has 14 dwellings and the dwellings are allocated completely separated to simulate detached houses. The building is renovated and is equipped with hydrogen production facility, hydrogen interchange pipe, and fuel cell stacks with heat recovery device. Complete energy flow process from hydrogen production to consumption in the homes is demonstrated. The outline of the demonstration project is presented in this paper.