Abstract
A micro co-generation system (μCGS) using a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) is expected to be one of the promising measures for improving energy efficiency in the residential sector, because the μCGS recovers waste heat from PEFC and supplies it as usable hot water in addition to its electricity supply. This chapter discusses the efficiency of a μCGS for residential use based on the hot-water demand observed in three domestic households. Two structures of μCGS were assumedthat is, PEFC with a large backup boiler and small hot-water tank and PEFC with a small backup boiler and large hot-water tank. Assuming the constant output operation of a PEFC, the required output of a backup boiler is calculated to meet a series of hot-water demand for each month during the period between August 2000 and March 2001. The composition of the hot-water output on the supply side and the hot-water usage on the demand side has been evaluated in the chapter. As a result, although the backup boiler supplied the hot water, some hot-water output of PEFC was wasted because of the concentrated hot-water demand within a short period. This reduced the actual efficiency of μCGS by 10% or more in each month as compared to the ideal situation, where all hot-water demand was met by only the hot-water output from PEFC and no hot-water output was wasted.
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