What is Household Electricity Generation ?

Many cogeneration systems are currently in use, although these are mainly large-scale systems used in factories or office blocks which use engines or turbines. If these systems were scaled down to a size to fit the power and heat demands of an ordinary household, they would not only be unsuitable from the point of view of energy efficiency and equipment costs, but vibration and noise levels are also of a level not fitted to household usage.

A Fuel Cell Cogeneration System Suitable for Household Usage

It is in this point that fuel cells are receiving a lot of attention.
Fuel cells generate electricity without burning fuel, so there are few moving parts and there is virtually no noise or vibration.
The size of the device is similar to a CO2 heat pump boiler ⁽¹⁾, and is suitable for household installation.

In addition, aside from generating the electricity needed in the home, because heat is generated during the process of combining ⁽²⁾ hydrogen and oxygen, this heat is used to heat water and contributes to increasing the efficiency of energy use.

Performance in Current Household Fuel Cells

The rated generating efficiency of the household fuel cell cogeneration system released in February 2005 is approx. 33%(HHV). The water heating efficiency is approx. 45%(HHV) at a water temperature of 60°C and above.

This means that the system has high energy efficiency, with some 74% of the energy inputted into the system as fuel becoming available for use in the household as electricity or hot water. In addition, because the fuel is not burnt, there is little emission of NOX and CO2 from the cogeneration system.