Lyngby, 3 March 2006

A consortium led by Topsoe Fuel Cell has received DKK 19 million (EUR 2.5 million) in support from the Danish PSO funds to a new stage of the development effort within its solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology. An important part of the effort involves setting up a large 12 kWe test unit, which will permit testing of the most recent stack development. The Danish utility Energi E2 will host the test unit. Based on process design by Topsoe Fuel Cell, Dantherm Air Handling A/S will be responsible for design of the system and assembly of the test unit. Furthermore, the support from the Danish PSO funds also covers planning and initial design work of a potential, new, up-scaled cell manufacturing plant eventually to be built and operated by Topsoe Fuel Cell.

As part of bringing the SOFC technology to the market, competitive manufacturing and the ability to test and demonstrate on a large scale play an important role. “Only by testing the technology in real scale, we can obtain the operating experience required to develop a fully reliable and efficient stack and system design. Demonstration also serves to show future customers the potential of the technology”, explains Claus Olsen, Managing Director, Topsoe Fuel Cell. He adds that a grant of this size constitutes a significant contribution in bringing the technology closer to a commercial stage.