New solid state fuel cells - green power source for 21st century

The exhaustion of the major fossil energy sources on earth in near future and the serious environmental pollution from the fuel combustion processes in the presently applied technologies are the most important problems of modern society. The sustainable development of mankind requests strongly to develop “green” power devices characterized by high fuel energy conversion efficiency, less pollution to the environment and convenience to use. Fuel cells have been commonly accepted to be a kind of clean, safe and convenient power source with high energy efficiency and are on the verge of revolutionizing the electric power industry by offering better ways to produce electricity and to deliver it to the consumers. Among all the advanced fuel cells being developed, which one might be the better choice for ideal green power generators in the 21st century? The answer is solid state fuel cells, particularly the solid oxide fuel cells(SOFCs) but not in the present stage of development. The new generation of SOFCs will certainly be based on all the results and experiences achieved so far in the fuel cell field and a lot of R & D work has to be performed furthermore. This paper attempts to present the current status of the R & D work on fuel cells, especially SOFCs, new concepts and trends, problems and possible measures which may initiate further discussion. The present article includes the following sub-topics:

The best electric power plants for the 21st Century

R & D on SOFCs: current status, problems and new trends

Intermediate temperature SOFCs - what do we need to do?

Fabrication techniques - soft chemistry routes

What to do for coming up with “green” power plants?