Solid oxide fuel cell stacks for diverse power equipment applications are to be jointly developed by UK-based Ceres Power Holdings PLC and Honda R & D Co Ltd. The initiative is based on Ceres Power’s metal-supported steel cell technology in which ceramic ink layers are screen-printed onto a steel sheet (see video).

Ceria is used in the anode and electrolyte of the Steel Cell, which operates at temperatures of 500-600 °C.

The steel cell is a perforated sheet of steel with a ceramic layer that converts fuel directly into electrical power.The Ceres Power and Honda joint development will also include a third party that will consider the future mass production scale-up of the technology based on Ceres Power’s manufacturing processes.

The two-year contract will allow the parties to build on what they say is a successful previous agreement announced in October 2014 and represents a deepening of the relationship between Honda and Ceres Power.

The Ceres steel cell technology generates power from widely available fuels at high efficiency and is manufactured using standard processing equipment and conventional materials such as steel. The companies say this means it can be mass produced at an affordable price for domestic and business use.