「燃料電池技術は、バッテリー、ディーゼル発電機、太陽電池システムなどの既存のソリューションよりも大きな潜在性がある。燃料電池の発電機は、従来の化石燃料よりも静かで、持続時間が長く、二酸化炭素排出量が少なく、天候に関係なく利用できる」とパイクリサーチ社のEuan Sadden氏は語る。
これらの利点にもかかわらず、燃料電池サプライチェーンと製造コストに関して大きな障害があるとも指摘している。コンポーネントとシステムの普遍的な業界基準の採用は来年中に行われ、コストを削減を助けるだろうが、その目標が実現されるにはまだまだ問題が残る。さらに、日本と韓国のエレクトロニクス企業が、製品の製造能力の促進と燃料電池技術の統合に注力することが不可欠であるだろうとしている。(後略)
May 11, 2011 Fuel cells are gaining momentum as a source of clean and reliable power for a host of portable device applications including electronics, battery chargers, remote monitoring, and military applications. In recent years, fuel cell manufacturers and electronics companies and distributors have sought to demonstrate their respective technologies across these new applications in preparation for large-scale commercialization. While key challenges still remain for the industry, most notably issues related to cost and technology standards, a new report from Pike Research forecasts that the current period of product development will lead to commercialization for portable fuel cells at an increasingly larger scale, beginning in the 2015 timeframe. The cleantech market intelligence firm forecasts that, by 2017, annual unit shipments for portable fuel cells will reach 7 million per year.
“Fuel cell technologies have strong potential advantages over conventional solutions such as batteries, diesel generators, and solar-powered systems,” says research analyst Euan Sadden. “Power generation from fuel cells is quiet, can provide extended runtime, produces fewer emissions than conventional fossil fuels, and can operate independent of weather conditions.”
However, despite these advantages, says Sadden, large barriers remain with respect to the capacity of the fuel cell supply chain and associated manufacturing costs. Adopting universal industry standards for components and systems will help reduce these costs in the coming years, but a significant amount of work remains for that goal to be realized. Additionally, Sadden says that another critical factor will be the increased focus among Japanese and Korean electronics companies in boosting manufacturing capacity and integrating fuel cell technologies into their products.
Pike Research’s analysis indicates that external battery chargers are a key area of market opportunity for portable fuel cells, and the firm anticipates that this category will lead in terms of unit shipments over the next several years. In addition, new niche markets such as environmental remote monitoring have also been recognized as promising areas for fuel cells, which can offer substantial benefits compared to generators and battery banks. Military man-portable applications such as remote monitoring/sensing and mobile soldier power remain a strong area of focus for fuel cell developers, as well, and are expected to be the largest revenue category for portable fuel cells given the high average cost per unit. The consumer electronics market, though it has enormous long-term potential, is not expected to be a significant percentage of total portable fuel cell shipments between now and 2017.
Pike Research’s report, “Fuel Cells for Portable Power Applications”, provides a comprehensive examination of applications for portable fuel cells, including portable electronics, external battery chargers, remote monitoring, and military applications. Key technology and business issues are analyzed in depth, and major players in the fuel cell supply chain are profiled. Market forecasts for unit shipments and revenue growth, segmented by application area, are provided through 2017.
この調査レポートは、ポータブル燃料電池向けアプリケーションを広範に調査しています。対象アプリケーションには、ポータブル電子機器、外部充電器、遠隔モニタリング、軍用アプリケーションなどが含まれています。また主要技術やビジネス動向についての詳細な分析や燃料電池サプライチェーン上に位置する主要企業情報、2017年までのアプリケーション分野別出荷台数と収益推移予測も掲載されています。