February 27, 2014 | By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

Worldwide markets are poised to achieve significant growth as the stationary fuel cells used to provide distributed power for campus environments achieve better technology and economies of scale. This is according to WinterGreen Research, who also says that stationary fuel cells have achieved grid parity, in many cases; improve and lower energy costs; and are on the cusp of becoming commercially viable.

The stationary fuel cell market stood at $793.7 million in 2012, and WinterGreen forecasts this will increase to $9.6 billion in 2019. The researchers anticipate growth to be based on global demand for distributed power generation that uses natural gas, and will shift from simple to rapid growth as markets move beyond the early adopter stage.

Stationary fuel cells represent the base for distributed power generation worldwide. According to WinterGreen, distributed power has become mainstream, driven, in part, by coal plant closures. Plus, generating power onsite, rather than centrally, eliminates the cost, complexity, interdependencies, and inefficiencies associated with energy transmission and distribution.

Renewable energy is intermittent and needs stationary fuel cells for renewables to achieve mainstream adoption as a stable power source. Wind and solar power cannot be stored except by using the energy derived from these sources to make hydrogen that can be stored. Stationary fuel cells are likely to function as a battery in the long term, creating a way to use hydrogen that is manufactured from the renewable energy sources.

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http://www.fierceenergy.com/story/stationary-fuel-cells-cusp-commercial-viability/2014-02-27