Micro Combined Heat and Power (CHP) systems based on Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cells are gaining
increasing interest since they allow the production of electricity and heat in a decentralized, quiet, efficient and
environmentally friendly way. However, the use of PEM fuel cell still involves different economical and technical issues to be
overcome before widespread commercialization begins. In the last years, significantly research efforts have been made to the
development of High Temperature PEM (HTPEM) fuel cells which could reduce system complexity and cost.
In this paper, with the aim of reducing fuel cell stack size to enhance cost reduction, the possibility of integrating a batt ery
storage system in a HTPEM based micro CHP system is evaluated. The proposed system encompasses a HTPEM fuel cell
stack, a steam reforming fuel processor and a battery pack. The fuel processor allows the HTPEM fuel cell to be fuelled with
conventional hydrocarbon based fuels while the battery pack allows peak shaving thus reducing fuel cell stack size..
Furthermore the choice of implementing a battery storage system contributes to the development of the smart grid technology
by enabling off-grid and on-grid storage of energy. The overall system should provide total electrical and part of the thermal
power requirements for a typical single family house.
In order to evaluate the influence on system cost, two fuel cell system sizes have been considered and three different
household electric load profiles have been analyzed. System performance, in terms of conversion efficiency, have been
calculated and compared
