A house house equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell power generator is seen in this file photo. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 7 (Korea Bizwire) — A majority of the hydrogen fuel cell power generators established in the last three years are not currently in operation, data showed Monday.
The Korea Energy Agency reported that among 384 fuel cell power generators built between 2019-2021, only 123 are currently in operation, a mere 32 percent of all fuel cell power plants.
Power generators that generate electricity from solar rays (99.7 percent), solar heat (99.6 percent), geothermal power (99.6 percent) and wind (83.3 percent) fared better, with more than 80 percent currently in operation.
Fourteen of the 261 suspended fuel cell power generators were out of order due to defects in the network connection, parts and pipeline leaks.
The rate of defect among fuel cell power generators stood at 3.6 percent, which was higher than other facilities that generate electricity from solar rays (0.1 percent), solar heat (0.2 percent) and geothermal power (0.1 percent).
With subsidies from the government, the capacity of fuel cell power generators jumped from 56 megawatts in 2012 to 879 megawatts last year.
The primary reason for the suspension of fuel cell power generators for residential use is the exorbitant cost of fuel. They use gas as a fuel, which costs more than electricity.
Also, the majority of fuel cell power generators have been set up at fitness centers and similar types of facilities used by many people, many of which have been shut down due to the pandemic.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
