The Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance (SECA), founded in the fall of 1999, is collaboration between the Federal Government, private industry, academic institutions and national laboratories devoted to the development of low-cost, modular, and fuel-flexible solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology suitable for a variety of power generation applications.
SECA is comprised of three groups: the Industry Teams, the Core Technology Program, and Federal Government management. The Industry Teams design the fuel cells and handle most hardware issues as they independently plan to commercialize SOFC systems for their market-entry products. The Core Technology Program, made up of universities, national laboratories, small businesses, and other R&D organizations, addresses applied technological issues common to all Industry Teams. Findings and inventions under the Core Technology Program are made available to all Industry Teams under unique intellectual property provisions (an exception to the Bayh-Dole Act) that serve to reduce R&D redundancy and accelerate development. The federal government management facilitates interaction between Industry Teams and the Core Technology Program as well as establishes technical priorities and approaches.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) previously cited the SECA program as leading the way in Government-industry partnerships.
"The SECA program leverages private-sector ingenuity by providing Government funding to Industry Teams developing fuel cells, as long as the Teams continue to exceed a series of stringent technical performance hurdles. This novel incentive structure has generated a high level of competition between the Teams and an impressive array of technical approaches. The SECA program also develops certain core technologies that can be used by all the Industry Teams to avoid duplication of effort. The program exceeded its 2005 performance targets, and it is on track to meet its goal for an economically competitive technology ..."
The ultimate goal of the SECA program is to develop low-cost entitlement, high-performance and robust fuel cell technology suitable for large (>100 MW) coal-fueled central generation applications. From an energy security perspective, coal is a primary resource for reducing dependence on imported oil and natural gas. More than half of the nation’s electricity supply is generated from coal - developing technology to ensure its environmentally clean and climate friendly use is of crucial national importance.
Fully utilizing the intrinsic functional characteristics of high-temperature fuel cells, advanced Integrated Gasification Fuel Cell (IGFC) systems are projected to achieve ≥ 99% CO2 capture, near-zero emissions of criteria pollutants (less than 0.5 ppm NOx emission) and dramatically reduced raw water consumption. These systems are capable of a coal-to-electricity efficiency exceeding 50 percent on a higher heating value (HHV) basis (60% HHV for advanced pressurized systems). The SECA cost goal of $175/kW stacks and $700/kW power blocks (2007 U.S. dollar basis) will ensure that the cost of electricity to the user will not exceed what is typical today. SECA-based advanced IGFC systems comprehensively address environmental, climate change, and water concerns associated with fossil fuel use while simultaneously establishing a foundation for a secure energy future in the United States. The SECA program is a critical element of the DOE's Office of Fossil Energy technology portfolio.
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| Source: Cost and Performance Baseline for Fossil Energy Plants, Volume1, Revision 2 Draft, 2010 Anticipated Release Analysis of Integrated Gasification Fuel Cell Plant Configurations, Draft, 2010 Anticipated Release. Click image to enlarge. |
A supporting objective is to provide the technology base for grid-independent distributed generation (DG). Fuel cells are a modular and hence scalable technology, and high temperature fuel cells are capable of utilizing a wide range of fuels (e.g., coal syngas, natural gas, diesel, biogas, etc.) with a relatively high tolerance for contaminants such as sulfur. Thus, the cost reduction and performance/reliability enhancement pursued by SECA for central generation are aligned with the near-term DG goals of industry, without sacrifice. Industry success in pursuing near-term market opportunities, utilizing substantial private funding, will establish the manufacturing and operational experience necessary to validate and advance the technology.
SECA program management supports diverse opportunities to demonstrate advanced SOFC technology through collaboration with other Federal agencies, State programs, foreign governments, and private initiatives in many applications, including distributed generation, military applications, transportation, and work with other fuels. SECA technology is currently used in a diesel-fueled auxiliary power unit (APU) through a DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)-funded project, Army and Navy ground-based auxiliary power projects, Navy unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) projects and a NASA project for next-generation manned spacecraft. NETL provides technical support to these efforts. Although these applications represent a limited commercialization path, this work provides an opportunity to gain experience with SECA technology that will lead to large-scale use.
 
Ultimately, a substantial demonstration of readiness for the central generation application can be accommodated within the Clean Coal Power Initiative (CCPI) Program – this represents a traditional Federal Government funding path to demonstrate successful clean coal R&D. Two important requirements for commercialization are adequate volume and firm commitment to that volume, attracting the capital investment required. The SECA program area is taking a phased approach to achieving these requirements as demonstrated by the program area targets.
Successful validation testing in accordance with rigorous DOE guidance reflects the excellent progress being made toward the SECA goals. With the successful completion of the first phase of the SECA Cost Reduction program element in 2006, where initial cost and prototype test goals were achieved, SECA moved one step closer to realizing its vision of cost-effective, near-zero-emission fuel cell technology for commercial applications. SECA moved another step closer in 2009, when two of the Industry Teams successfully completing the first phase of Coal-Based Systems validation testing - metric tests for 10 kilowatt (kW) stacks in accordance with the SECA minimum requirements of greater than 5,000 hours of operation and degradation of less than 4.0 percent per 1,000 hours (<4%/1,000hr). Fiscal Year 2010 goals for mass production cost are $175/kW for the fuel cell module, and $700/kW for the IGFC power block. Achieving these cost goals reflects an 8-fold improvement in cost, supported by a 4- to 5-fold improvement in stack power density, a 5-fold increase in cell size, and a 25-fold increase in stack size. |
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