Japanese industrial group Panasonic has unveiled a new fuel cell cogeneration system under its long-running Ene‑farm brand, aimed at detached homes and designed to increase on-site solar self-consumption.
The system integrates with a home energy management system (HEMS) capable of forecasting surplus electricity from solar PV or the grid. Based on these forecasts, the HEMS schedules fuel cell operation to coincide with periods when solar panels produce more electricity than the household requires, maximizing self-consumption.
The unit also supports Echonet Lite, a Japanese smart-device standard, enabling participation in demand response (DR) programs. When the system receives a power-reduction order, Ene‑farm pauses electricity generation, allowing more power to flow from the grid and increasing household consumption. Conversely, a power-generation request triggers electricity production, reducing the amount of grid power needed and easing supply constraints.
The system operates using either methane or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Inside the unit, a fuel processor extracts hydrogen from the methane contained in the supplied gas, and this hydrogen is then fed into the fuel cell stack to generate electricity through an electrochemical reaction. The system delivers a power generation output of 200–700 W for the city gas model and 300–700 W for the LPG model. It achieves a rated electrical efficiency of 41.0% for lower heating value (LHV) or 37.0% for higher heating value (HHV) with methane, and 40.0% (LHV) or 36.8% (HHV) with LP gas.
In addition to producing electricity, the system captures the heat generated during the reaction process and reuses it to heat water stored in an approximately 100-liter tank for household applications such as showers, taps, and space heating. The rated heat recovery efficiency reaches 57.0% for LHV or 51.5% for HHV for methane, and 61.0% for LHV or 56.2% for HHV for LPG. Thanks to this combined production of electricity and useful heat, the overall efficiency rises to 98.0% for LHV or 88.5% for HHV with methane, and up to 101.0% for LHV or 93.0% for HHV with LPG.
When hot water demand exceeds the heat available from the fuel cell, a backup boiler or auxiliary heat source automatically supplements the system to ensure a stable and continuous supply. During power outages, the unit can also provide emergency electricity with a maximum AC output of 500 W.
The fuel cell unit measures 1,650 mm x 400 mm x 350 mm, while the hot water storage unit has a size of 1,650 mm x 790 mm x 350 mm. The dry weight is 59 kg for the fuel cell unit and 73 kg for the hot water storage unit.
The product will be available for sale in Japan from April 1.
In September, Panasonic began testing a new energy management system (EMS) that helps increase residential PV self-consumption by combining solar energy generation with heat pumps and batteries. Recently, it also released a new version of its Eco Cute CO2 heat pump that is equipped with a solar radiation shift function adjusting domestic hot water (DHW) production during daytime to rooftop PV power generation.
Last year, it also integrated a series of home energy management solutions into its Aquarea air-to-water heat pumps for commercial and multi-dwelling residential applications.
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