Energy

A hydrogen fuel cell. (Image source: Canva)

The adoption of stationary fuel cells is accelerating, driven by rising energy demands, concerns over grid reliability, and a global push for cleaner alternatives to fossil fuels.

IDTechEx's latest report, Stationary Fuel Cell Markets 2025-2035: Technologies, Players & Forecasts, delves into the potential of this evolving market, analysing different fuel cell technologies, their applications, and challenges.

Meeting growing energy needs

Global energy consumption continues to climb, fuelled by economic growth and power-intensive technologies. In 2023 alone, energy use increased by 2%, raising concerns over energy security and the need for sustainable power solutions. Stationary fuel cells, which generate electricity by combining hydrogen and oxygen, are gaining traction as a reliable energy source. They can operate independently or as part of larger fuel cell stacks, offering scalable solutions for backup power and continuous operations in areas prone to grid instability or limited power access.

Fuel cell technologies and applications

Fuel cell systems vary by operating temperature, efficiency, and use cases. High-temperature systems, such as solid oxide (SOFC) and molten carbonate fuel cells, excel in industrial applications due to their ability to reform hydrogen carrier fuels and operate in combined heat and power (CHP) modes. These systems provide flexibility in fuel sourcing, including natural gas and biogas, though they still face sustainability challenges.

Medium-temperature systems, like phosphoric acid and alkaline fuel cells, operate up to 200°C and are often used in specific industrial and commercial settings. However, these require greater maintenance due to liquid electrolytes and higher operating costs.

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), which operate at lower temperatures below 100°C, are noted for their efficiency, compact size, and responsiveness to power demand changes. These qualities make PEMFCs particularly suitable for backup power systems and transportable applications.

Challenges in hydrogen sourcing

Hydrogen availability and purity remain key hurdles for stationary fuel cell adoption. While PEMFCs require high-purity hydrogen and are sensitive to impurities, high-temperature systems like SOFCs offer greater fuel flexibility, supporting alternative fuels like natural gas. However, the lack of a robust hydrogen infrastructure and the cost of green hydrogen remain barriers to widespread adoption.

Market outlook

With global energy consumption projected to grow by 3.4% annually through 2026, the demand for stationary fuel cells is set to expand. IDTechEx forecasts that annual commercial demand for stationary fuel cells will exceed 1.9 GW by 2035, driven by applications in residential, industrial, and utility sectors. Although over 80% of global energy is still derived from fossil fuels, the increasing emphasis on sustainability and renewable energy offers significant growth opportunities for fuel cell technologies.

Stationary fuel cells, particularly PEMFCs and SOFCs, are positioned to lead this market transformation, provided advances in hydrogen production and infrastructure can meet the growing demand for cleaner energy solutions.

Lara Sidawi Moore addressing the conference. (Image source: Energy Intelligence)

The geopolitics and energy transition nexus was the focus of the Energy Intelligence Forum which took place from 25-27 November in London

The Forum provided a platform for energy leaders to debate and shape sustainable solutions to the energy challenges of the 21st century and explore collaborative solutions for industrial decarbonisation. Energy leaders explored the potential impact of industrial policy, geopolitical competition, and Trump’s election on these industries.

The event highlighted the urgent need for innovation in carbon removal technologies to mitigate rising greenhouse gas emissions. Temperatures will rise by 1.5°C in the next 10 to 15 years, according to Dr. Hoesung Lee, the sixth chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and winner of Energy Intelligence’s Energy Economist of the Year. “Global emissions must peak by 2025, but this won’t happen.”

Efforts to decarbonise the industry were a key focus, with hydrogen, electrification, carbon capture, and nuclear are all competing to be the top solution for energy-intensive sectors like steel, chemicals, shipping, and aviation. According to Anne-Laure de Chammard, executive board member at Siemens Energy, there is a still a long way to go on this front. “Sectors with clear targets and incentives are progressing faster than those without clear signals,” she noted, adding that small modular reactors can play a key, timely, role to provide electricity for the expanding demand of data centres around the world. “You can build one in roughly one year.”

BP Plc CEO Murray Auchincloss was hopeful that that onshore wind developments in the US could be accelerated, following promises from the President-Elect to curb regulations.

“We think it [the Trump presidency] is a strong chance to help the US get back to putting construction forward, getting regulatory reform in place, and getting faster permitting and really allowing construction to move forward. That's what we're most hopeful for, because the US has been struggling in that space,” Auchincloss commented.

Darren Woods, chairman & CEO of ExxonMobil, was awarded Energy Intelligence’s 2024 Energy Executive of the Year for leadership in growth and innovation, including the acquisition of Texas-based oil and gas exploration and production company Pioneer, and advancements in carbon capture, hydrogen, and lithium.

TotalEnergies was awarded the 2024 Energy Innovation Award in recognition of its commitment to the energy transition, having invested over US$70bn in low-carbon initiatives since 2015 and ambitiously working to reduce Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions.

Lara Sidawi Moore, deputy CEO and chairperson of the Executive Committee of Energy Intelligence commented, “Our choices now, we hope, will help to craft a unified framework to provide energy security, stability, and prosperity to future generations. We urgently need greater foresight, collaboration, and determination to help drive the world toward a more sustainable, resilient, and secure energy future.”

Mecc Alte Smartcloud is available now, with regular feature updates. (Image source: Mecc Alte)

Remote monitoring of equipment is nothing new, but Mecc Alte's Smartcloud represents a fresh approach to monitoring large numbers of gensets and other equipment

Designed from the ground up to meet today's remote monitoring requirements, Mecc Alte Smartcloud prioritises an intuitive, graphically pleasing user interface and powerful features.

Supporting connections to devices by either wired ethernet or cellular 4G/5G devices, Smartcloud maintains regular updates from remote devices. The integrated 'Cloudlink' system ensures Cybersecure connectivity with modern encryption routines between device and server. Cloudlink also simplifies the connection process, negating the need for public or static IP addresses and helping navigate firewalls. "High security with simplicity was the main objective when designing the Cloudlink system,” stated Mecc Alte's Miles Revell, director of Smartech division.

Safe and secure

The system, maintained on European servers compliant with latest cybersecurity standards, features multiple security levels and unique fingerprint recognition to prevent malicious interference. An overview dashboard display allows operators an at-a-glance status and action management screen, while the colour coded map enables geographic-based viewing.

Mecc Alte's leadership in alternators is evident in the AVR monitoring pages. For the first-time, you can have remote visibility into AVR operation during genset operation. AVR alarms are fully supported and reported on the Smartcloud dashboard and unit views, with measured values and excitation levels for remote diagnosis.

This integration is particularly important as embedded power generation systems become increasingly complex for grid code compliance. The AVR becomes as important as the genset controller in ensuring safe operation in the event of extreme conditions when in parallel with the mains.

Meeting user needs

For emission compliance, Smartcloud also enables comprehensive reporting on generator, engine, and after-treatment equipment status, including Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF), Ash, and Soot levels from the engine ECU.

Smartcloud also has an intuitive ‘Data Saver’ function, allowing users to tune update rates to match needs and connection limitations, with different measurement rates for various values. This flexibility optimises performance across unlimited connections or restricted data scenarios like Internet of Things (IoT) SIM cards and satellite links, for example.

Continuous feedback helps to ensure that the power technologies are relevant for end-user needs. This is why Smartcloud has been designed to support the Mecc Alte HS315 controller on DC Hybrid systems. With Smartcloud it’s possible to monitor charge/discharge cycles in detail, enabling real-world performance analysis of new power technologies through cycle graphing of battery behaviour.

Mecc Alte Smartcloud is available now, with regular feature updates. Contact Mecc Alte for more details.

This article is authored by Mecc Alte.

COP29 concluded with the Baku Finance Goal agreement. (Image source: UNFCCC)

There has been a mixed response to the outcome of COP29 and the Baku Finance Goal (BFG) that was announced in the final hour

There was plenty of drama in the conclusion of the 29^th edition of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, held in Baku, as international stakeholders representing 200 countries vied to hammer out a deal that would continue the energy transition and support developing countries in their battle against climate change.

The conference opened under headlines dominated by Ilham Aliyev, the President of country host Azerbaijan, who described oil and gas as a “gift from God” and criticised misinformation spread by western media, charities and politicians. From this point, persistent protests from climate demonstrators and campaigners set the background clamour for the event as it ran through the agenda, as the spotlight began to focus the eventual deal that would mark its success, or otherwise.

As the debate began in earnest, the temperature began to rise and at one point in the proceedings it appeared as though a deal might not be reached following the breakdown of discussions and dozens of nations walking out.

However, this tumultuous finale, delegates returned to the room and a period of intense diplomacy saw a new deal struck in the dying hours of the conference

Over the line in Baku

The culmination of the debate was announced in the form of the BFG.

This represents a commitment to channel US$1.3 trillion of climate finance to the developing world each year. At its core is a target for developed countries to take the lead on mobilising at least US$300bn per year for developing countries by 2035.

In addition, there was a conclusion for the Article 6 negotiation on high integrity carbon markets under the UN. According to the COP29 announcement, financial flows from complaint carbon markets could reach US$1 trillion per year by 2050 and have the potential to reduce the cost of implementing national climate plans by US$250bn per year.

“We have unlocked one of the most complex and technical challenges in climate diplomacy,” said COP29 lead negotiator Yalchin Rafiyev. “Article 6 is hard to understand, but its impacts will be clear in our everyday lives. It means coal plants decommissioned, wind farms built and forests planted. It means a new wave of investment in the developing world.”

In addition, the full operationalisation of the Loss and Damage Fund was unveiled after originally being agreed during COP27 in Egypt. The fund aims to provide financial assistance to countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, with the decision to launch operations made agreed during COP28.

COP29 went further by ensuring the fund’s operationalisation, including several important related agreements including the Trustee Agreement and the Secretariat Hosting Agreement. To date, the total pledged financial support for the fund exceeds US$730mn.

The best outcome or an “optical illusion”?

“When the world came to Baku, people doubted that Azerbaijan could deliver. They doubted that everyone could agree. They were wrong on both counts,” remarked COP29 President, Mukhtar Babayev. “With this breakthrough, the Baku Finance Goal will turn billions into trillions over the next decade. We have secured a trebling of the core climate finance target for developing countries each year.

“The Baku Finance Goal represents the best possible deal we could reach, and we have pushed the donor countries as far as possible. We have forever changed the global financial architecture and taken a significant step towards delivering the means to deliver a pathway to 1.5°C. The years ahead will not be easy. The science shows that the challenges will only grow. Our ability to work together will be tested. The Baku Breakthrough will help us weather the coming storms.”

This positive judgement is not one universally shared however, with critics suggesting that developed countries were not meeting their responsibilities to raise resources to support developing nations. Indian negotiator, Chandni Raina was one of the leading voices in dissent, labelling it “an optical illusion” that “will not address the enormity of the challenge we all face.”

Ali Mohamed, Kenya’s special envoy for climate change and chair of the African group of negotiators, also expressed his disappointment. “Africa leaves Baku with realism and resignation as COP29 progress falls far short of our hopes,” he stated in a post on X. “When Africa loses, the world loses – its minerals, biodiversity & stability. The US$300bn/year by 2035 is too little, too late for a continent facing climate devastation while contributing leads to emissions.”

While the debate continues for the time being over the effectiveness of the new deal, eyes are already looking ahead to COP30 which will be hosted in Brazil from 10-21 November 2025. Certainly, these proceedings will be heavily coloured by a new leader amongst the developed countries in the form of US President Donald Trump. Having recently nominated a fracking CEO to lead the US Energy Department, there are fears the President will step back from the country’s climate commitments.

Time, then, will tell whether the critics of the BFG are proven correct or whether the agreement will hold together the climate effort in the potentially subdued conferences that could lie ahead.