Waste2Watts: Techno-Economic Feasibility of Biogas-Fed SOFC Power System Integrated with Biogas Cleaning Unit and Carbon Capture Technologies

Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) systems show immense potential for efficient biogas utilization, which can significantly reduce carbon emissions by integrating with biogas cleaning units and carbon capture technologies. Despite the significant benefits, the high cost of the integrated system presents a challenge. Therefore, a techno-economic assessment is necessary to evaluate the feasibility of the integrated system and provide guidelines for cost reduction. The ideal capacity for an integrated biogas-fed SOFC power system ranges between 20 kW to 200 kW. Firstly, a comparison of different biogas types and stack technologies is conducted to evaluate the system performance. Secondly, a techno-economic investigation of the feasibility of different system designs is performed by comparing different carbon capture technologies with various biogas cleaning units. The study results can facilitate the optimization of the integrated system's design and operation and pave the way for large-scale implementation of SOFC technology in the energy industry.