Phillips 66 receives $3M grant from DOE to commercialize reversible fuel cells

Phillips 66 announced Jan. 21 it received a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy to demonstrate the commercial feasibility of reversible solid oxide fuel cells.

The ceramic devices can either generate electricity by oxidizing a fuel, such as hydrogen or methane, or produce hydrogen fuel through electrolysis.

Many see the energy industry's potential shift from hydrocarbons to hydrogen as a viable path toward reducing CO2 emissions. On Jan. 7, Phillips 66 CEO Greg Garland announced the company had created an "Emerging Energy" business that he hopes will eventually match the scale of the oil refining and petrochemical company's midstream business.

Phillips 66, which holds eight U.S. granted patents and 22 pending U.S. patent applications related to the technology, is partnering with the Georgia Institute of Technology on the project, with Phillips 66 serving as the research lead and Georgia Tech serving as a collaborative partner.