The Status of SOFC and SOEC R&D in the European Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking Programme

Abstract

The Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) was set up in 2008 to accelerate the development of fuel cells and hydrogen technologies in Europe towards commercialization from 2020 onwards. To reach this target the FCH JU brings together resources under a cohesive public-private partnership to ensure commercial focus, to match RTD activities to industry's needs and expectations and to scale-up and intensify links between the Industry Community and the Research Community. The applications are open to all fuel cells technologies, SOFC being mostly developed for the stationary applications, including back-up powers and APUs for transportation. Applications are also open to SOEC technologies. There are different groups working in Europe and supported partially by the FCH JU on the SOFC/SOEC technologies. So far € 180 million have been allocated to support 49 projects which address specifically SOFC or SOEC technologies (equivalent to 40-50% of the energy-type of projects). Largely thanks to this support the EU is now a world leader on SOFC and SOEC technology with a well-established supply and value chain. In addition, a number of EU companies have already expressed their intentions to increase their manufacturing capabilities and are already exploring how to expand market introduction of their products beyond the EU.