Berkeley Lab to develop fuel cells cost model

Nov 4, 2011 - A team of scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory will use a USD-2-million (EUR 1.5m) grant awarded by the US Department of Energy to develop a cost model for fuel cells.

An announcement on Berkeley Lab's website this week said that the scientists will assess in detail the design and manufacturing of fuel cells, taking into consideration intrinsic as well as external advantages. They will seek to quantify benefits that might have been omitted before and could reduce the cost of the technology, in addition to quantifying the manufacturing expenses.

Eric Masanet, who leads the team, cited human health benefits stemming from the replacement of fossil fuels with fuel cells as a factor that has not been accounted for. Masanet said the researchers would use modeling tools they had developed to determine if optimal design and production strategies existed for different markets.

The project will explore solid oxide and proton-exchange-membrane fuel cells in installations of up to 250 kW and is expected to take five years. A working tool is set to be ready in three years.

Fuel cell maker Ballard Power Systems and two groups at the University of California Berkeley are subcontractors on the project.

(USD 1 = EUR 0.729)

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