Techno-Economic Analysis and Feasibility Study of a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell-Battery Hybrid System for Water Taxi Application

A hybrid power system consisting of an intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and a lithium-ion battery is conceptually designed for water taxi applications. The sizing method of such a hybrid system is developed based on the resistance, acceleration performance, cruising cycle, and the speeds of a water taxi under the conditions of daily operation time and charge neutrality over a 24 h period. A techno-economic analysis (TEA) is performed for the proposed hybrid system and compared with other two power sources, a typical internal combustion engine (ICE), and a battery-only system. A feasibility study based on the weight and the volume of the hybrid system is conducted. The potential reduction of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions is calculated and compared with the GHG emissions from water taxies powered by an ICE and a battery-only, respectively.