Panasonic Corp. has developed a pure hydrogen fuel cell generator that it claims boasts industry-leading electrical efficiency.
Launched Oct. 1, 2021, for commercial use in Japan, the 5-kilowatt (kW) generator – scalable to increase power output by linking multiple units – produces power through a chemical reaction with high-purity hydrogen and oxygen in the air, Panasonic stated. Observing that the generator requires no fuel processing device to extract hydrogen from natural gas, Panasonic maintains the product achieves 56% electrical efficiency. The company calls that efficiency level is “the industry’s best” for a pure hydrogen fuel cell generator.
In addition to scalability and 56% electrical efficiency, Panasonic noted other generator features include:
- Applicability to cogeneration when linking the generator to a hot water storage unit, converting heat from the fuel cell to hot water and achieving 95% total energy efficiency via heat recovery
- Power generation ability during an outage by connecting the generator to a resistor unit and a startup power supply unit
- Quick, approximately one-minute startup capability.
Panasonic plans to market the hydrogen fuel cell generator under the “H2 KIBOU” trade name.
