Study of a Small-Scale Fuel Cell Cogeneration System with Methanol Steam Reforming Considering Partial Load and Load Fluctuation

Performance analysis and cost estimation are carried out for a cogeneration system consisting of a solid high-polymer-film-type fuel cell with a methanol reformer applied to individual houses. For the operation of the fuel cell under a partial load, a unique point of this system is the shifting of the driving point by the electric heater. Considering the annual energy cost for an average house in Sapporo, Japan, the energy cost of this system is shown to be 1.42 times that of conventional systems in which a cogeneration system is not installed.