Industrial Development Status and Prospects of the Marine Fuel Cell: A Review

In the context of the increasingly strict pollutant emission regulations and carbon emission reduction targets proposed by the International Maritime Organization, the shipping industry is seeking new types of marine power plants with the advantages of high efficiency and low emissions. Among the possible alternatives, the fuel cell is considered to be the most practical technology, as it provides an efficient means to generate electricity with low pollutant emissions and carbon emissions. Very few comprehensive reviews focus on the maritime applications of the fuel cell. Thus, news reports and literature on the maritime applications of the fuel cell in the past sixty years were collected, and the industrial development status and prospects of the marine fuel cell were summarized as follows. Some countries in Europe, North America and Asia have invested heavily in researching and developing the marine fuel cell, and a series of research projects have achieved concrete results, such as the industrialized marine fuel cell system or practical demonstration applications. At present, the worldwide research of the marine fuel cell focuses more on the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). However, the power demand of the marine fuel cell in the future will show steady growth, and thus the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), with the advantages of higher power and fuel diversity, will be the mainstream in the next research stage. Although some challenges exist, the SOFC can certainly lead the upgrading and updating of the marine power system with the cooperative efforts of the whole world.

Automated summary

In response to stricter regulations on pollutant and carbon emissions set by the International Maritime Organization, the shipping industry is looking for new marine power plants that are highly efficient and have low emissions. Among the alternatives, fuel cells are considered the most practical technology due to their ability to generate electricity efficiently with minimal pollutants and carbon emissions. Comprehensive reviews on the maritime applications of fuel cells are scarce, so a collection of news reports and literature from the past sixty years was done to summarize the current status and future prospects of marine fuel cells. Several countries in Europe, North America, and Asia have heavily invested in research and development of marine fuel cells, resulting in tangible achievements such as industrialized fuel cell systems and practical demonstration applications. While the current focus of global research is on proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC), the demand for marine fuel cells is expected to steadily grow in the future, leading to solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) becoming mainstream in the next research stage due to their higher power capabilities and fuel diversity. Despite some challenges, with the collaborative efforts worldwide, SOFCs have the potential to drive the upgrade and modernization of marine power systems.