By Gary Thomas
The international fuel cell sector is growing swiftly and showed a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 83% during 2009ƒ{2011. Nevertheless, it is still small in comparison with its clean energy peers such as solar and wind.
Besides, the fuel cell sector is still afflicted by expansion and contraction. For instance, during 2011, system shipments in the portable fuel cell segment contracted by 16% on a year-by-year basis, resulting in the sector losing many organizations.
In the meantime, the stationary sector manifested the highest growth in 2011, mainly due to a swell in the demand for housing heating and power arrangements in Japan subsequent to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant catastrophe. FuelCell Energy and other such organizations upped their production. As a consequence, during 2011 system shipments in the international stationary sector increased by 75% from those in 2010 and manifested a CAGR for 2009ƒ{2011 of 63%.
The differences between the stationary and portable fuel cell segments clearly point out that the fuel cell sector is complicated and has various aspects with different application segments having different adoption models and supply chain of varied quality.
Regardless of the various hurdles, the industry is flourishing, being guided by issues of the cost of energy, an unceasing international focus on clean energy initiatives and need for conversion to a smart energy archetype.
The current Pike research report assesses the condition of the international fuel cell industry, covering three main sectors ¡V stationary, portable and transport. It also includes an investigation of the demand drivers and hurdles, public policy aspects, and prime industry participants in the global fuel cell sector. Market sizing and prognosis are provided for megawatts shipped, system shipments, electrolyte adoption rates and earnings by sector and application. The current year¡¦s report also has a portion dedicated to the consequences to the fuel cell industry by the present natural gas boom.
Source: http://www.reportlinker.com