Experimental Characterization of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Hydrogen Fueled in a Residential Small Villa

The use of highly efficient cogeneration systems fueled by pure hydrogen, such as Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) in the residential sector, is one of the new frontiers for achieving the net zero greenhouse gas emissions tran sitions. The lack of experimental studies in this area prompted the authors to propose the present paper. It refers to hydrogen-fueled SOFC 1 kW-sized, integrated into the plant system of a single-family villa configurated as a nearly Zero Energy Building. The multiple objectives are: show the technical feasibility of this technology in building; analyse the data of a continuous monitoring campaign in wintertime; highlight the real performance compared to the manufacturer’s declaration. The results demonstrate that, in particular conditions of photo voltaic production, it is possible to meet the home electric loads and have a surplus of energy to store or send to the national power grid. The calculated electrical efficiency is equal to 0.47 ÷ 0.48, while the maximum overall efficiency is 0.93.