Application of SOFC for Power Supply of Remote Agricultural Enterprises

The paper deals with implementing solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) into power supply systems of remote agricultural enterprises. The use of biogas which comes from agricultural waste (crop production, animal husbandry) as a fuel for SOFC will ensure energy safety and environmental friendliness of remote agricultural enterprises. The object of the research is a livestock complex that consumes electricity from the centralized distribution electrical network (CDEN) through an extended power transmission line. Research on efficient use of a combined generation system based on SOFC has been carried out. Biogas from cattle bio-waste is a fuel for SOFC. An algorithm to determine the optimal SOFC capacity has been developed. The algorithm takes into account SOFC’s thermal energy which can be used for heating a livestock complex and possibilities of selling surplus electricity from the SOFC to the CDEN. The paper also analyzes overall enterprise costs for energy supply as an optimization criterion, taking into account electricity tariffs. The obtained results can be used to justify energy and economic efficiency of deploying on-site biogas-powered SOFCs power plants into power supply systems of livestock complexes.