This ene.field report, authored by the project partner Imperial College London, provides a definitive result on the overall macro-economic and macro-environmental implication of a widespread rollout of fuel cell micro-CHP technology for Europe’s electricity systems. The use of micro-CHP systems is appealing due to two fundamental reasons: (i) the efficiency of energy conversion is above 90%, much higher than the efficiency of Combined-Cycle Gas Turbine (i.e. around 60%), (ii) the systems are installed at the end-use premises reducing the need for energy transport infrastructure and losses. The micro-CHP can also provide a local peaking capacity (back-up), and it can become an alternative to the conventional boiler in a smart home environment where the electricity and heat demand can be managed more efficiency. The study involves analyses on the impact of micro-CHP on the capacity and operation of the electricity systems across Europe and the impact on CO2, gas consumption across different uptake scenarios and system backgrounds.

To read the full report, please click on the following link: Benefits of Widespread Deployment of Fuel Cell micro-CHP in Securing and Decarbonising the Future European Electricity System