Research and development of molten carbonate fuel cell 1,000kW class plant

摘要

The technical development of molten carbonate fuel cells commenced in fiscal 1981 as a part of the Moonlight Plan of the Agency of Industrial Science and Technology within Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI). During Phase I of this project (which continued through November 1993) and the first half of Phase II, R&D focused on the basic technology for the cells, peripheral equipment and other areas, with development advanced on a 100kW class stack and 1,000kW peripheral equipment. From fiscal 1993 the project was taken over into the New Sunshine Plan (also under the MITI Agency of Industrial Science and Technology). The second half of Phase II, beginning from December 1993, included development of the stack and the total system, while from fiscal 1995 construction of the plant was launched in Kawagoe Town in Mie Prefecture (inside the Kawagoe Power Plant of Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc). Installation of the cell unit and the machinery overall coordination work was completed as of July 2000, with operation testing begun that August. Scheduled from here on is confirmation of the cell characteristics, as well as 5,000 hours of operation research during the current fiscal year.