Ceres Power is a UK-based company that is developing a fuel-cell boiler for the UK domestic CHP market.[1]
The boiler produces both heat and electricity. The design is small enough to be wall-mounted and is therefore compatible with the layout of most central heating systems in the UK.[2]
At the heart of the system is a fuel-cell stack that uses ceramic inks to turn gas into electricity. It consumes domestic gas (natural gas, LPG or biofuels[3]), and produces power in a quiet electro-chemical process.[2]
Specifically, the stack is a low cost and low temperature (500-600 degrees) Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) stack using cerium gadolinium oxide (CGO) in place of current industry standard ceramic, Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), which allows the use of a stainless steel substrate to support the ceramic.[3]
Ceres have agreements with British Gas[1] and Calor Gas[2] for marketing the product in Great Britain, and with Bord Gáis Éireann (‘BGE’) for the island of Ireland (including both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland).[4]