Delphi Corp. has met all of the Department of Energy's phase-one goals to bring solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology to the market by 2011, according to a statement released by the Troy, Mich.-based auto-parts supplier Tuesday.
The DOE determined that Delphi's SOFC unit met critical cost and performance targets, including peak-power performance, peak efficiency, limited power degradation and a factory cost below $800 per kilowatt.
Delphi is working jointly with the DOE's Office of Fossil Energy on a three-phase, 10-year program that began in 2001 to develop SOFC technology to help reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil and the environmental impact of fossil fuels.
Phase two will be a three-year, $45 million-plus cost-shared contract between Delphi and the DOE to reduce the SOFC system factory cost to less than $600 per kilowatt, to increase efficiency to 40% or more and to further increase power density, according to Mary Gustanski, director of engineering, Delphi Powertrain Systems.
The final development stage will be focused on delivering an SOFC power system capable of 40% or greater efficiency at a factory cost of $400 per kilowatt.
