Alma Clean Power announces successful testing of direct ammonia fuel cells

6 kW unit to be scaled-up

Norway-based Alma Clean Power has announced successful testing of a 6 kW, ammonia-fed solid oxide fuel cell unit. Operating at an electrical efficiency between 61-67%, the test unit is seen as the “first building block” of a larger 100 kW module to be stacked & used for marine propulsion. Earlier this year, Alma received Approval in Principle from DNV for a 2 MW, container-sized SOFC system fed with ammonia fuel, and has already demonstrated continuous, stable operation of its SOFC technology.

I am very proud of the Alma team and their remarkable achievements in just over a year of system development. To our knowledge, this is the highest power output ever demonstrated with direct ammonia solid oxide fuel cells.

Bernt Skeie, CEO of Alma Clean Power in his organisation’s official press release, 3 July 2023

It’s rewarding to see the system operate with stable operation and consistent electricity generation. To gain knowledge and fine-tune the setup, testing will continue throughout the summer. After that, we will proceed with the assembly and testing of a complete 100-kW module which will serve as the foundation for larger ship installations.

Rune Tveit, Project Manager at Alma Clean Power in his organisation’s official press release, 3 July 2023

Progress in DAFCs (Direct Ammonia Fuel Cells)

When completed, Alma Clean Power’s 2 MW system will be retrofitted on board the Viking Energy, an offshore supply vessel. Two further retrofits have also been agreed to with Eidesvik and Aker BP. The Viking Energy retrofit is scheduled for the end of this year.

DAFCs are also the focus of the AmmoniaDrive project, an academic-industry consortium led by the University of Amsterdam and TU Delft. R&D in DAFCs is proceeding in a number of places, including Australia, Japan and the EU. DAFC research has also been a constant, ongoing theme discussed at the AEA’s annual conference.