Doosan launches 50MW SOFC factory, hydrogen’s role still unclear

South Korea’s Doosan Fuel Cell has started manufacturing hydrogen-capable solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) at its new 50MW facility in Jeollabuk-do, as it eyes first sales later this year.

Based on Ceres-licensed technology, the SOFCs target stationary distributed power, including data centres, microgrids, and auxiliary marine systems.

Doosan expects to make its first SOFC sales before the end of 2025, marking the first royalties for Ceres.

Doosoon Lee, CEO of Doosan Fuel Cell, said the company aims to “lead the adoption” of SOFCs in South Korea.

“We intend to spearhead the acceleration of the global transition to a decarbonised society through eco-friendly energy solutions in the commercial power market and maritime mobility,” he said.

Yet despite the commercial milestone, significant hurdles remain for the technology’s hydrogen ambitions.

There’s no guarantee the systems will be operating on hydrogen. The Ceres technology is based on ceria oxide, which, in addition to operating at 450–630ºC, can use natural gas as a fuel.

Since planning the Jeollabuk-do factory, Doosan has had two deals for hydrogen SOFC power installations terminated.

More broadly, other major players, including Bosch – which was also using Ceres’ technology – have backed away from hydrogen SOFC for power generation due to a lack of support in markets like Europe.

Earlier this year, Ceres CEO, Phil Caldwell told H2 View, Doosan customers would initially be looking to use natural gas and then transition to hydrogen.

“When you look at countries like Japan [and South Korea], they’re energy constrained,” he said. “They’re going to be using, first of all, natural gas, and then hydrogen, and possibly decarbonise with carbon capture.”

Doosan also markets its SOFC systems as operating on natural gas.

While emissions from natural gas-fed SOFCs are significantly lower than from combustion systems, they still release CO2 and trace amounts of NOx, with SOx emissions negligible if the fuel is purified.

https://www.h2-view.com/story/doosan-launches-50mw-sofc-factory-hydrogens-role-still-unclear/2130047.article/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily+Daily+Hydrogen+Highlights&utm_content=Daily+Daily+Hydrogen+Highlights+CID_01ee6bc96382371e471e91b85b8b7ab0&utm_source=Campaign+Monitor&utm_term=Doosan+launches+50MW+SOFC+factory+hydrogens+role+still+unclear