Solid-oxide fuel cells and CHP-an environmental solution in the making

The notion of an energy source unconstrained by the thermodynamic limitations of the Carnot cycle has been a goal since energy became an ´economic factor´. The fuel cell has long been part of this ´idealised objective´, but somehow it has never quite lived up to its promise. Is this about to change? Have developments in materials technology and the increasing cost of energy, coupled with environmental considerations, at last made the fuel cell a practicable reality? This article looks at solid-oxide fuel cells and the implications for combined heat and power plant.