A New Trendsetting Fuel Cell Alliance
Selb, Eschenbach, June 24, 2010. Today H.C. Starck Ceramics and Kerafol announced their partnership in manufacturing, sales, and distribution of high-temperature SOFCs (solid oxide fuel cells) doped with scandium.
The characters in the picture from left to right: Dr. HP Baldus, Dr. A. Sieverdingbeck, Dipl.-Kffr. I. Koppe, Ing F. Koppe
Because the scandium-doped zirconia used in these fuel cells is highly conductive, scandium-doped solid oxide fuel cells have the highest output potential of all electrolyte-supported fuel cells (ESC), and as a result are an essential, key component of innovative fuel cell technology.
H.C. Starck and Kerafol’s alliance creates new potential synergies which complement each other reciprocally, with Kerafol contributing its specialized knowledge of scandium-doped electrolytes and H.C. Starck its expertise in electrode manufacturing to the partnership. The result is the first high-output, scandium-doped cell with its origins in Europe.
“I am extremely pleased that thanks to H.C. Starck and Kerafol bundling their fuel cell expertise, we were able to develop this new, promising fuel cell product in such a short period of time,” says Dr. Andreas Sieverdingbeck, President of H.C. Starck Ceramics GmbH & Co. KG. “Each company’s range of competencies complements the other perfectly.”
Franz Koppe, President and Owner of Kerafol – Keramische Folien GmbH says: “The results of our jointly-developed ESC cell were excellent, and as a result we can manufacture cells with significantly improved performance characteristics at market-friendly rates. Together we are strong.”
Some background information on solid oxide fuel cells: Fuel cells are considered to be a key technology for the future of electricity generation. In an SOFC, a fuel’s chemical energy is directly converted into electrical energy in an electrochemical reaction. This is why fuel cells are more effective than other conventional means of generating electricity. Fuel cell technology is an environmentally-friendly and highly efficient solution for on-site energy or for combined heat and power.
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