7. Stationary applications

The environmental qualities of fuel cells (low emissions, low noise) make them ideal for producing energy close to the user, for non-mobile applications. For example, local electricity production can be used to power a micro-grid (connected or not to the main grid), to supply power to isolated sites (generator sets), or to secure a facility against power cuts, particularly for data centers or places requiring a secure power supply (hospitals, emergency centers, prefectures, etc.).

The heat, which is also generated locally by the fuel cell, can be used for heating or steam generation, depending on the operating temperature (table 4 ). Fuel cells operating at higher temperatures (PAFC, MCFC and SOFC) are less, or not at all, sensitive to impurities such as carbon monoxide from transformed primary fuels. They...