The project has been based on the evidence that the use of a fuel cell system can generate heat and power with high efficiency. The necessity of investigating a new path to energy conversion compared to thermal engines for power generation is related to the global energy problem which is becoming increasingly relevant. In fact, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions as well as a significant decrease in fossil fuel consumption are two outstanding topics to be addressed. For these reasons, governments are proposing green policies whose goals are to foster the use of renewable sources, reduce energy demand and increase energy production efficiency, thus reducing fuel supply. In this general scenario, the project was built to develop an analysis of the technical, economical and environmental benefits of producing distributed heat and electricity through integrated systems based on fuel cell technology. The final purpose was to identify an innovative solution able to respond to the project requirements: the design of a medium size (1 MW) SOFC plant fed by fuel derived from renewable resources, a possible alternative to the current use of natural gas, actually still the best solution.
According to the solution concept defined, several institutions have been involved. In particular, Edison has allowed us to understand the state of the art of the Italian power market and its future scenarios, while SMAT has provided us essential information to define and detail the proposed concept.
Principal Academic Tutors
Michele Calì
Energy, Politecnico di Torino
Massimo Santarelli
Energy, Politecnico di Torino
Academic Tutors
Andrea Casalegno
Energy, Politecnico di Milano
Gianpiero Groppi
Energy, Politecnico di Milano
Renzo Marchesi
Energy, Politecnico di Milano
Emilio Paolucci
Management and Production Engineering, Politecnico di Torino
Milena Salvo
Applied Science and Technology, Politecnico di Torino
Alberto Tenconi
Energy, Politecnico di Torino
External institution
Edison Spa
External Tutors
Davide Beretta
Edison Spa
Stefano Ginocchio
Edison Spa
Team members
TEAM A
Lucia Colombo [Team controller], Energy Engineering
Gianfrancesco Melina [Project Communication Coordinator], Aerospace Engineering
Piergiorgio Luigi Montrucchio, Industrial Engineering and Management