Cost of the fuel cell

The cost is a barrier for all kinds of fuel cells across all applications. The cost of fuel cells is determined by the market segment, by the prices of the competing technologies, and by the power of economic developments (energy taxation). Due to the greater efficiency of fuel cell systems, the fuel and care costs are lower compared to other methods such as gas turbines. The following elements can affect the operational costs of fuel cell methods: (1) the price of natural gas; (2) the operation (heat executed, electricity executed, or combinations); (3) the lifetime of the design (costs for stack replacement). To facilitate the investment prices of fuel cell systems, different measures have to be taken: (1) enhancing fuel cell stack design to improve the power density; (2) utilizing lower-cost materials; and (3) underestimating temperature constraints (e.g. lowering SOFC operating temperature to utilize lower-cost materials). The cost of fuel cells differs widely relying on size, power electronics needs, and reformer needs.