West Virginia University (WVU) engineers have developed a fuel cell designed to stabilize the power grid by efficiently switching between storing and generating electricity, as well as producing hydrogen from water. This innovation addresses challenges associated with integrating renewable energy sources like solar and wind into the electrical grid.
The new fuel cell, known as a protonic ceramic electrochemical cell (PCEC), can endure high temperatures and steam levels typical of industrial operations. Xingbo Liu, a materials science professor at WVU, highlighted that PCECs offer a solution for an electrical grid that must manage energy from various sources, including conventional power plants and residential solar panels.
Liu noted that existing PCEC designs face issues such as instability in high steam environments and poor performance in conducting protons. “In response, our group built a ‘conformally coated scaffold’ design by connecting electrolytes,” Liu explained. The prototype successfully operated for over 5,000 hours at 600 degrees Celsius and 40% humidity, surpassing previous records of continuous operation.
This research was documented in Nature Energy by Hanchen Tian and Wei Li, among others. Tian described how current PCEC designs suffer from steam exposure leading to failure over time. The WVU team addressed this by using barium ions to help the coating retain water and nickel ions to produce larger CCS cells.
The technology shows potential for large-scale applications due to its ability to use saltwater or low-quality water instead of purified water. “We showed that it’s possible to make, on a large scale, CCS fuel cells that will stay strong and stable under intense conditions,” Tian stated.
