Solid State Energy Conversion

The U.S. Department of Energy has a major program in the Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance to bring about dramatic reductions in fuel cell costs. The goal to cut costs to 400 per kilowatt by the year 2010 would make fuel cells competitive for most power applications. The objective is to develop a modular, all-solid-state fuel cell that can be mass-produced for different products in the same way as electronic components are made. 

Nowak, R.J., A DARPA perspective on small fuel cells for the military, in Proceedings Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance (SECA) Workshop, Arlington, VA, 29 March 2001. 

In a much more optimistic article in (Williams, 2002), the Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance (SECA) predicts 400/kW from versatile 3-10 kW SOECs from Siemens Westinghouse or Cummins Power/McDermott Technology. Vehicle applications of the SOEC are included in a wide range of market values. 

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are solid-state energy conversion devices with the potential advantages of high efficiency, silent operation and low emissions. However, the high operating temperature (1000°C) of SOFCs... 

Surdoval, W. A. and Berry, D. A, "Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance", 3 Annual Department of Defense Logistic Fuel Reforming Workshop, Panama City, Florida, August 26 - 29, 2002. 

The DOE has continued its support of McDermott s program by selecting the Cummins Power Generation/McDermott team for a 74 million award under its Solid-State Energy Conversion Alliance (SECA). The team will develop a 10 kW SOFC system for auxiliary power in RVs and commercial work vehicles and for emergency power at remote telecommunications sites. MTI has offices in Alliance, Ohio and Lynchburg, Virginia." ... 

GE Hybrid Power Generation Systems (2006) Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance (SEGA) Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Program, DOE/NETL Cooperative Agreement DE-FE-26-01NT41245, Final Report. 

In this Seventh Edition of the Fuel Cell Handbook, we have discussed the Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance Program (SECA) activities. In addition, individual fuel cell technologies and other supporting materials have been updated. Finally, an updated index assists the reader in locating specific information quickly. 

Swartz, S.L., Low Cost Manufacturing of Multi-Layer Ceramic Fuels,"" paper presented at Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance 2nd Annual Workshop Proceedings, March 2001, http //www.netl.doe.gov/publications/proceedings/01/seca/swartz.pdf... 

Surdoval, W., S.C. Singhal, and G.L. McVay. The Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance (SECA) - A U S. Department of Energy Initiative to Promote the Development of Mass Customized Solid Oxide Fuel Cells for Low-Cost Power, in SOFC VII. 2000. Tsukuba, Japan The Electrochemical Society Proceedings. 

Proceedings of the Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance Workshops, SECA is coordinated by the National Energy Technology Center and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Proceedings can be found online at http //www.netl.doe.gov/scng/seca/past-events.html... 

There has been much recent development in the United States on SOFC systems, incubated by the Department of Energy Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance (SEGA) program. The 10-year goal of the SEGA program (started in the fall of 1999) is to develop 3-10-kw SOFC units at < 400/kW with rated performance achievable over the lifetime of the application with less than 0.1% loss per 500 h operation by 2021 [7]. 

J. P. Strakey, The Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance, Third Annual SEGA Workshop, Washington, DC, 21-22 March 2002. 

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