SBIR Phase I: Design of a Novel Unitized Regenerative Fuel Cell System Using Advanced Materials for Efficiency Optimization

小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目通过减少对化石燃料能源的依赖来解决全球能源问题。 许多可再生能源的一个主要限制是其间歇性，如太阳能或风能。 随着从这些来源应用于电网的能量的百分比的增长，必须开发能量存储系统以在高峰发电时段期间存储能量，并在低发电时段期间提供电力。 基于氢的再生燃料电池是这些应用的理想候选者，因为它们的能量密度高，响应时间快，并且当使用可再生电源通过电解产生氢时无碳足迹。 然而，用于电解和燃料电池堆的材料仍然太昂贵，使得该解决方案不具有成本效益。 该项目的目标是开发在燃料电池和电解模式下运行的双功能电极，使单个电池堆能够同时发挥电解槽和燃料电池的功能，并消除显着的成本。 这项研究的更广泛/商业影响适用于消费者，工业和军事客户。 所有美国武装部队分支机构都将储能确定为确保部队安全和作战能源安全的关键需求。 更长时间无人驾驶任务的更高能量密度，减少前方作战基地的燃料需求，以及减少功率信号是需要解决的关键问题。拟议中的储能系统可以为军事监视车辆、前沿作战基地和消费者家庭提供电力。 日本已经在分布式能源发电方面处于领先地位，并部署了数千个住宅储能系统。 然而，目前的大多数系统都是基于天然气，而天然气仍然依赖于化石燃料来源，并导致全球二氧化碳水平上升的问题。 基于氢的系统能够实现氢和氧到水和返回的完全可逆的化学循环。 这些领域的进展将立即产生商业利益，并将解决实现清洁，可持续能源解决方案的具体能力。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project addresses global energy concerns by enabling reduced dependence on energy derived from fossil fuels. A major limitation of many renewable energy sources is the intermittent nature of the source, such as solar or wind. As the percentage of energy applied to the grid from these sources grows, energy storage systems must be developed to store energy during peak generation periods, and provide power during lower generation periods. Hydrogen-based regenerative fuel cells are an ideal candidate for these applications due to their high energy density, fast response times, and carbon-free footprint when the hydrogen is generated by electrolysis using the renewable power source. However, materials for the electrolysis and fuel cell stacks are still too expensive to make this solution cost effective. The goal of this project is to develop bifunctional electrodes for operation in both fuel cell and electrolysis mode, enabling a single stack to serve the function of both the electrolyzer and fuel cell and eliminating significant cost. The broader/commercial impacts of this research are applicable to consumer, industrial, and military customers. All of the United States armed services branches have identified energy storage as a critical need for assuring troop safety and operational energy security. Higher energy density for longer unmanned missions, reduction in fuel needs for forward operating bases, and reduced power signatures are key concerns to be addressed. The proposed energy storage system can provide power for military surveillance vehicles, forward operating bases, and consumer homes. Japan is already leading the effort in distributed energy generation and has deployed thousands of residential energy storage systems. However, most of the current systems are based on natural gas, which still relies on fossil fuel sources and contributes to the problem of increasing global carbon dioxide levels. Hydrogen-based systems enable a fully reversible chemical cycle of hydrogen and oxygen to water and back. Advances in these areas will find immediate commercial interest, and will address a specific capability that enables clean, sustainable energy solutions.