A method of operating a power generation system, such as a fuel cell power generation system, includes providing a first electrical power up to a threshold amount of power to a load from at least one power module via a plurality of DC/DC converters and a DC power bus, determining whether electrical power from a utility is available, and providing a second electrical power from the at least one power module to a rectifier path via a plurality of DC/AC inverters in response to determining that the electrical power from the utility is available. The second electrical power includes electrical power generated by the at least one power module in excess of the threshold amount of electrical power.

A fuel cell stack includes a reaction part configured by stacking a plurality of unit cells, a plurality of endplates configured to cover ends of the reaction part in a stacking direction of the unit cells, and a clamp including a clamp body configured to cover an outer surface of the reaction part in the stacking direction of the unit cell and a plurality of hook portions connected to ends of the clamp body so as to cover outer surfaces of the plurality of endplates and be restricted directly by the endplates.

A fuel cell stack includes a reaction part configured by stacking a plurality of unit cells, a plurality of endplates configured to cover ends of the reaction part in a stacking direction of the unit cells, and a clamp including a clamp body configured to cover an outer surface of the reaction part in the stacking direction of the unit cell and a plurality of hook portions connected to ends of the clamp body so as to cover outer surfaces of the plurality of endplates and be restricted directly by the endplates.

An embodiment fuel cell includes a cell stack including a plurality of unit cells stacked in a first direction, a plate disposed at one of two end portions of the cell stack, the plate including a first terminal unit protruding in a second direction intersecting the first direction, a heating element including a second terminal unit engaged with the first terminal unit of the plate in the second direction, the heating element being disposed between the one of the two end portions of the cell stack and the plate, and an insulation part disposed at at least one of the first terminal unit or the second terminal unit, wherein one of the first terminal unit and the second terminal unit includes a pair of male heater terminals protruding in the second direction, and the other includes a pair of female heater terminals.

In this fuel cell, a cathode-side porous film that covers a cathode electrode is interposed between the cathode electrode and an air supply layer, the cathode electrode constituting electrolyte film/electrode structures. In addition, breathing holes are formed in the cathode-side porous film, and the air flowing through air supply passages passes through the breathing holes and is supplied to the cathode electrode.

A fuel cell unit structure includes: power generation cells; separators; a flow passage portion formed between the separators and including flow passages configured to supply gas to the power generation cells; gas flow-in ports configured to allow the gas to flow into the flow passage portion; gas flow-out ports configured to allow the gas to flow out from the flow passage portion; and an adjustment portion configured to adjust an amount of the gas flowing through the flow passages. The adjustment portion includes a first auxiliary flow passage provided between the power generation cells arranged to be opposed to each other on a same plane with a gas flow-in port of the gas flow-in ports being located on an extended line of an extending direction of the first auxiliary flow passage.

A battery cell that has a supply edge to which an electrolyte solution is supplied and a discharge edge from which the electrolyte solution is discharged has an introduction port that connects with the supply edge and a discharge port that connects with the discharge edge, and includes a plurality of meandering flow paths each of which is serially formed from the introduction port to the discharge port, the plurality of meandering flow paths being arranged in parallel in a widthwise direction. Each of the meandering flow paths has an introduction-side section extending from the introduction port toward a discharge edge side, a turn-back section that is turned back from an end portion on the discharge edge side of the introduction-side section toward a supply edge side, and a discharge-side section reaching the discharge port from an end portion on the supply edge side of the turn-back section.

A battery cell that has a supply edge to which an electrolyte solution is supplied and a discharge edge from which the electrolyte solution is discharged has an introduction port that connects with the supply edge and a discharge port that connects with the discharge edge, and includes a plurality of meandering flow paths each of which is serially formed from the introduction port to the discharge port, the plurality of meandering flow paths being arranged in parallel in a widthwise direction. Each of the meandering flow paths has an introduction-side section extending from the introduction port toward a discharge edge side, a turn-back section that is turned back from an end portion on the discharge edge side of the introduction-side section toward a supply edge side, and a discharge-side section reaching the discharge port from an end portion on the supply edge side of the turn-back section.

A fuel cell stack comprises: a substrate; a plurality of single fuel cells each of which includes a fuel side electrode, an electrolyte, and an oxygen side electrode deposited on the substrate; an interconnector film electrically connecting the fuel side electrode of one single fuel cell of adjacent single fuel cells of the plurality of single fuel cells and the oxygen side electrode of the other single fuel cell; and a porous ceramic film covering at least the interconnector film in a region between a first fuel side electrode of one single fuel cell of adjacent single fuel cells and a second fuel side electrode of the other single fuel cell.

Electrolyte membrane electrode structures that constitute a fuel cell according to the present invention have a staggered arrangement wherein a part of an anode electrode faces a part of one of two adjacent cathode electrodes, with an electrolyte membrane being interposed therebetween, and another part of the anode electrode faces a part of the other cathode electrode, with an interconnect part being interposed therebetween, said interconnect part being formed in the electrolyte membrane. The electrolyte membrane electrode structures are sealed in a laminate layer which is obtained by bonding an anode-side porous film that covers the anode electrode and a cathode-side porous film that covers the cathode electrodes with each other.