DEMOSOFC [1] is a Fuel Cell & Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH-JU) funded project which foresees the installation of the largest biogas fed Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) in Europe. The SOFC will be the sole combined heat & power (CHP) generator within a medium size wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) located in Torino (IT). Three SOFC modules, each rated 58 kWe, will supply around 30% of the internal electrical loads and a variable share of the thermal load depending on the season. The key objective of the project is to demonstrate the industrial readiness of SOFC systems, which are able to guarantee better performance both in terms of electrical efficiency and emission of pollutants with respect to conventional internal combustion engines.
SOFC systems have a high potential for integration with local renewable fuels as biogas and/or bio-syngas from waste sources. Looking at the biogas potential in EU, the most common plant size lies in the sub-MW scale.
This work aims to describe the DEMOSOFC concept, the approach followed for the design of the integrated system. Energy performance, environmental benefits, underlining advantages and barriers of this integration are presented and discussed.
