Economic Assessment of the Utilization of Fuel Cells in Electric Utility Systems

This paper evaluates the long range economic benefits of first generation and advanced fuel cells in the future generation capacity plans of a representative electric utility system. The economic benefits of fuel cells´ unique characteristics are separately quantified and the relationships between market penetration, fuel price, and capital cost are analyzed. Reliability, production cost, and optimum generation mix methods commonly used for generation planning in utilities were used for this study.