Ameliorating Bottlenecks in Global Energy Supply Chains with Stationary Fuel Cell Systems

摘要

This research focuses on improving bottlenecks in our global energy supply chains with next generation stationary fuel cell systems (FCSs). The fields of management science and engineering, operations research, and business espouse the Theory of Constraints, popularized by Eliyahu M. Goldratt in his book The Goal. Goldratt states: "The throughput of any system is determined by one constraint (bottleneck);" and "An hour saved at a non-botdeneck [process] is a mirage." The primary tenant of the Theory of Constraints is that time and money are being wasted if one does not focus all of one's efforts on fixing the least efficient process, ie. the 'weakest link', in a manufacturing supply chain. The efficiency of the entire manufacturing supply chain can improve only when the slowest process in that chain is actively improved. To enhance the effectiveness of any system, the bottleneck must be identified and worked on until it is no longer the bottleneck; attention should then be refocused on the new bottleneck, and so on. The Theory of Constraints has been widely applied to manufacturing supply chains; this work uniquely applies this theory to energy supply chains.