[Upcoming Hydrogen Economy] Doosan Fuel Cell Accelerates Diversification of Fuel Cells

Achieved 98% Localization of Fuel Cell Components
Demonstration of Trigen Using Natural Gas in First Half of Year
Growth Expected with Opening of Hydrogen Power Bidding Market

A fuel cell that generates electricity by supplying hydrogen on one side and oxygen on the opposite side, based on a separator made of black graphite. Unlike magical or 'alchemy'-like descriptions, it looks like an ordinary container at first glance. Inside the container are four 'cell stacks,' each over 2 meters tall, containing 47 stacks made by combining eight cells that integrate fuel electrodes and separators. With a rated output of 440kW, it produces enough electricity to power 1,267 average four-person households for one year.

A collaborative robot stacking fuel cell stacks at Doosan Fuel Cell's Iksan plant

The Doosan Fuel Cell production plant located in Iksan, Jeollabuk-do, is a place where you can see the future world that the hydrogen economy will create. This is where you can see the fuel cell technology that was used in the Apollo space shuttle in the 1960s.

Doosan Group acquired the American hydrogen fuel cell company 'ClearEdge Power' in 2014. This company originated from a firm that commercialized space shuttle fuel cells. Based on advanced technology and additional R&D, Doosan Fuel Cell has grown into a global fuel cell company within about 10 years of entering the business.

In 2020, it supplied 114 fuel cells to the Daesan Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power Plant, the world's first and largest byproduct hydrogen fuel cell power plant. In 2019, it supplied 1.76MW of hydrogen fuel cells to the Nanhai area of Foshan City, China, marking the first export of fuel cells from Korea. In February of this year, it signed a business agreement with South Australia to foster the hydrogen industry, diversifying its supply destinations.

The Iksan plant, completed in 2017, has established an annual production system capable of producing up to 300MW of phosphoric acid fuel cells (PAFC) through facility expansion. Including facilities currently under construction, the total PAFC fuel cell supply exceeds 560MW.

Additionally, Doosan Fuel Cell plans to complete an additional 50MW factory this year in the Gunsan Saemangeum Industrial Complex. It will be able to produce 680 units annually of high-efficiency power generation solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC).

Doosan Fuel Cell Iksan Plant
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Fuel cells are eco-friendly, future power generation facilities that not only produce no pollution but also have independent power grids and can adjust output according to demand. They can provide stable energy supply year-round and can be used as distributed power sources if a hydrogen supply network is secured. The Daesan Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power Plant produces about 400,000 MWh of electricity and heat annually, providing clean energy for approximately 160,000 households in the Chungnam region.

Doosan Fuel Cell has achieved about 98% localization of parts by cooperating with 280 domestic partner companies, creating a hydrogen industry ecosystem centered on Doosan Fuel Cell. However, policy support is still insufficient.

With the government implementing the Clean Hydrogen Mandatory System (CHPS), the hydrogen power generation bidding market will open within this month. However, the hydrogen market volume announced by the government is only 1.3 TWh annually, which corresponds to about 200MW in installed capacity. This is only about 0.23% of last year's total electricity trading volume.

Especially in the general market, the capacity of fuel cell projects awaiting operation permits reaches about 6GW. Simply put, the capacity of fuel cell power generation projects planned for installation with permits is already difficult to absorb in the bidding market. The initial volume is small, raising concerns that fuel cell demand will not increase.

Daesan Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power Plant

Therefore, to expand its fuel cell business, Doosan Fuel Cell is developing 'TriGen,' which uses natural gas, a city gas, following SOFC for ship fuel cells. To this end, it has formed a consortium with energy company Shell and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering. They plan to complete the development and delivery of shipboard SOFC systems by 2024 and conduct a one-year demonstration starting in 2025.

TriGen will complete a national project demonstration this November and begin receiving orders from the end of the year. TriGen can produce hydrogen and electricity cheaply anywhere by utilizing the city gas network, and it is expected to enable operation of combined electric and hydrogen vehicle charging stations.

A Doosan Fuel Cell official said, "Ship fuel cells have higher power generation efficiency compared to marine fuel oil and can be freely arranged inside ships, leading to innovation in ship design," adding, "TriGen can simultaneously produce hydrogen, electricity, and heat, so it is expected to be used at combined charging stations for electric and hydrogen vehicles."

Doosan Fuel Cell