Fuel Cell Technology Status Analysis
NREL engineers Jennifer Kurtz and Todd Ramsden at work in the Hydrogen Secure Data Center.
NREL's analysis of fuel cell technology provides objective and credible information about new fuel cell technologies with a focus on performance, durability, and price. As demand for fuel cells grows, U.S. manufacturers are developing these technologies for a variety of applications. NREL helps the development community understand the current status of fuel cell technologies, identify areas for improvement, and set realistic price expectations for small-volume production.
Technology Analysis Process
Participating fuel cell developers securely share pricing information about their fuel cell products and/or raw fuel cell test data—related to operations, maintenance, and safety—with NREL via the Hydrogen Secure Data Center (HSDC). NREL engineers perform uniform durability analyses on the detailed data and then report on their findings, providing proprietary data analysis results to individual developers and aggregated results to the public.
Get Involved
Fuel cell developers interested in collaborating with NREL on fuel cell technology status analysis should send an email to NREL's Technology Validation Team at techval@nrel.gov.
Learn More
Subscribe to the biannual Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Technology Validation newsletter, which highlights recent technology validation activities at NREL.
Composite Data Products
By aggregating data from numerous developers, NREL creates composite data products (CDPs) that provide relevant data results on the technology status without revealing proprietary data or specific companies. The following CDPs focus on fuel cell usage and operation behavior:
- Voltage Durability of Lab Data Sets
CDP LAB 01, 3/25/2013: PowerPoint | JPG - Voltage Durability of Lab Data Sets at Various Voltage Drop Levels
CDP LAB 02, 3/25/2013: PowerPoint | JPG - Comparison of Automotive Field and Lab Data Voltage Durability
CDP LAB 03, 3/25/2013: PowerPoint | JPG - Lab Data Operation Hours and Number of Data Sets
CDP LAB 04, 3/25/2013: PowerPoint | JPG - Comparison of MHE Field and Lab Data Voltage Durability
CDP LAB 05, 3/25/2013: PowerPoint | JPG - Power Capability of Test Data Sets
CDP LAB 06, 3/25/2013: PowerPoint | JPG - Operation Hours and Data Sets Operated Beyond 10% Voltage Degradation
CDP LAB 07, 3/25/2013: PowerPoint | JPG - Projected Hours to 10% Voltage Degradation by Configuration and Test Condition
CDP LAB 08, 4/1/2013: PowerPoint | JPG - Configuration of Fuel Cell by Data Set Fuel Cell Usage and Operation Behavior
CDP LAB 09, 3/26/2013: PowerPoint | JPG - Average Projected Hours to 10% Voltage Drop Fuel Cell Usage and Operation Behavior
CDP LAB 10, 4/1/2013: PowerPoint | JPG - Projected Hours to 10% Voltage Drop by Category Fuel Cell Usage and Operation Behavior
CDP LAB 11, 4/1/2013: PowerPoint | JPG - Fuel Type by Data Set Fuel Cell Usage and Operation Behavior
CDP LAB 12, 4/1/2013: PowerPoint | JPG - Test Conditions by Data Set Fuel Cell Usage and Operation Behavior
CDP LAB 13, 3/25/2013: PowerPoint | JPG - Current Density Point by Data Set Fuel Cell Usage and Operation Behavior
CDP LAB 14, 4/1/2013: PowerPoint | JPG
Publications
The following publications provide more information about NREL's fuel cell technology status analysis efforts.
- State-of-the-Art Fuel Cell Voltage Durability Status: Spring 2013 Composite Data Products. Jennifer Kurtz, Sam Sprik, Genevieve Saur, Michael Peters, Matthew Post, and Chris Ainscough. (May 2013)
- Fuel Cell Technology Status Analysis Project: Partnership Opportunities. Fact sheet describing opportunities for industry to participate in NREL's fuel cell technology performance and durability analysis. (January 2013)
- Secure Data Center fact sheet. Introductory fact sheet about the Secure Data Center at NREL's Energy Systems Integration Facility. (August 2012)
- Fuel Cell Technology Status — Voltage Degradation. Jennifer Kurtz, Keith Wipke, Sam Sprik, and Genevieve Saur. Presented at the 2012 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting, Washington, DC. (May 2012)
- State-of-the-Art Fuel Cell Voltage Durability Status, 2012 Composite Data Products. Jennifer Kurtz, Sam Sprik, and Genevieve Saur. (April 2012)
- Analysis of Laboratory Fuel Cell Technology Status — Voltage Degradation. Jennifer Kurtz. Excerpt from the 2011 Annual Progress Report. (November 2011)
- Fuel Cell Technology Status — Voltage Degradation. Jennifer Kurtz. Presented at the 2011 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting, Washington, DC. (May 2011)
Learn about NREL's other technology validation efforts.
