Fuel Cell Market Prospects Bullish as Clean Energy Investments Grow

Posted by Arslan on January 23rd, 2019

Growing focus on sustainability and efficiency among end-users is driving the demand for fuel cells globally. The fuel cell market is benefiting from growing interest in alternative and unconventional sources of energy. Key benefits of fuel cells, especially their ability to generate electricity from different sources, is one of the key factors driving growth of fuel cell market.

The fuel cell market is likely to be positively influenced by growing focus of governments around the world to tap into cleaner sources of energy. The fuel cell market is likely to be positively driven by growing investments by governments. However, considering the fact that harnessing energy from alternative sources entails development of adequate technology, capital intensive nature of fuel cell systems remains a key challenge. In addition to these factors, the other key challenges faced by stakeholders in fuel cell market include operating cost and unavailability of raw materials.

Investments in fuel cell market are higher in developed countries, vis-à-vis developing countries, on account of higher investments by private and public entities. The US is one of the most lucrative markets for fuel cell market, with installations of proton exchange membrane higher in the country. The automobile and telecommunications industries in the US are showing receptivity towards fuel cell systems.

Adoption of Stationary Fuel Cell Systems Growing

The efforts to harness alternative sources of energy are driving the adoption of stationary fuel cell systems among end-users. The use of stationary fuel cell systems in cogeneration applications is likely to provide an impetus to the growth of the market. The Fact.MR study opines that cogeneration applications account for nearly half of the revenue share of the market globally.

The Fact.MR study opines that in addition to developed countries, sales of stationary fuel cell systems in developing regions are also likely to create sustained opportunities for stakeholders. According to the study, Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) is likely to be one of the leading markets for stationary fuel cell systems globally. The sales of stationary fuel cell systems in Asia Pacific are likely to remain concentrated in China and India, where governments are embarking on a public-private partnerships to develop alternative sources of energy.

The research study on stationary fuel cell systems opines that the market will continue to be consolidated, with few players accounting for higher share. According to the study, leading players in the fuel cell system market are likely to account for nearly three-fourth revenue share of the stationary fuel cell market. According to the study, leading players in the stationary fuel cell market are focusing on increasing the funds and grants they receive from governments and other organizations.

In addition to the aforementioned factors, demand for stationary fuel cell systems is also growing on account of their lower repair and maintenance costs. According to the study, stationary fuel cell systems have fewer moving parts, which reduce the periodic repair and maintenance costs that are a regular affair in other conventional sources of energy mechanisms.

The stationary fuel cell systems market is likely to grow at a healthy rate on account of growing emphasis on sustainability and eco-friendliness. On the other hand, high cost and limited technological adoption can stymie growth.