Sophia Solar Power System

What is Sophia Project?

The SOPHIA project has provided HyGear with th knowledge to widen ist technology base for producing hydrogen in future years. SP is a major developer and supplier of SOFC systems. It is constantly improving iis cells, stacks, and systems. The results obtained in the SOPHIA project will assist SP in this efort.

What are the goals of Sophia?

Key targets of the SOPHIA project and expected outcomes are the development of cells (including large scale) and stacks which work under pressurized conditions, meet long durability (< 1% per 1000 h) and high performance (> 1 A/ cm2).

Is there a potential market for Sophia technology?

A large potential market exists for the SOPHIA technology with production capacities. In 2010 the European Commission has adopted the Communication "Energy 2020 - A strategy for competitive, sustainable and secure energy". It includes five headline targets that set out where the EU should be in 2020.

Can Sophia cells be operated at high current density?

In addition, the contact elements and sealing concept have been optimized for SOPHIA cells and validated in several 1-cell stacks. It was shown that at atmospheric pressure, the cell and stack can be operated at high current density (ΔiΔ≥0.6 A/cm²) even at 700°C, which might help in ageing resistance.

How can Sophia improve a fuel cell & electrolyser?

As a general matter, all the numerical means developed in SOPHIA will be valorized through studies dedicated to the optimization of high temperature fuel cell and electrolyser. They allow to narrow the gap between the laboratory developments and the pre-commercial systems.

What is the techno-economic optimal configuration of Sophia plant?

Concerning the H2 production, it was observed that the techno-economic optimal configuration is when the chemical process part of SOPHIA plant works with a baseload, the intermittency of the solar power generation being smoothened by the CSP process part.