Fuel cell co-generation: the future of co-generation

This paper presents the position of co-generation in a number of countries in the European Union and in more detail the situation in The Netherlands where, at this moment, about more than 30% of the electricity production is based on co-generation. The principal obstacles for the future development of co-generation has been presented. Based on the development of co-generation, which is the most economic and the most efficient way of producing electricity with the advantages for energy conservation and the environment, the fuel cell can play an important role in the change to a more decentralized power production. A future development with a household fuel cell, as an ultimate consequence for decentralized power production, has been presented as a challenge for the actors in the energy market. Based on the Dutch experience, the requirements and critical success factors for fuel cells in a household application have been discussed.