Solid Oxide Fuel Cells for Marine Applications

The marine industry must reduce emissions to comply with recent and future regulations. Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are seenas a promising option for efficient power generation on ships with reduced emissions. However, it is unclear how the devices canbe integrated and how this affects the operation of the ship economically and environmentally. This paper reviews studies thatconsider SOFC for marine applications. First, this article discusses noteworthy developments in SOFC systems, includingpower plant options and fuel possibilities. Next, it presents the design drivers for a marine power plant and explores how anSOFC system performs. Hereafter, the possibilities for integrating the SOFC system with the ship are examined, alsoconsidering economic and environmental impact. The review shows unexplored potential to successfully integrate SOFC withthermal and electrical systems in marine vessels. Additionally, it is identified that there are still possibilities to improve marineSOFC systems, for which a holistic approach is needed for design at cell, stack, module, and system level. Nevertheless, it isexpected that hybridisation is needed for a technically and economically feasible ship. Despite its high cost, SOFC systemscould significantly reduce GHG, NO X , SO X , PM, and noise emissions in shipping