Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) can be installed and generating power in under 12 months, offering commercial and industrial sites a route around grid connection waits that now stretch up to a decade, according to a new whitepaper from Centrica and Ceres.
The paper points to warnings from Ofgem that grid delays are deferring projects, raising costs, and in some cases contributing to cancellations. It argues that on-site power generation lets businesses secure the electricity they need without waiting on a new grid connection, while grid reform and network investment continue in parallel.
Efficiency gap with gas turbines
SOFCs generate electricity through a chemical reaction rather than by burning fuel. The whitepaper puts their electrical efficiency at 60 to 65 percent, compared with roughly 35 to 40 percent for the open-cycle gas turbines typically used for on-site and back-up generation today.
Data center demand accelerating
The paper ties the case for faster power access to data center growth, citing forecasts that global data center capacity will rise from 76 GW in 2026 to 182 GW by 2030. It says that without faster access to electricity, the UK risks falling behind better-positioned markets, and it calls on policymakers and industry leaders to pair long-term grid investment with deployable on-site power technologies that can meet demand now.
Centrica chief executive Chris O'Shea said in the paper: "The UK cannot afford for power connections to become the reason investment goes elsewhere." Ceres chief executive Phil Caldwell said the technology is designed to "provide reliable power now, scale with future requirements and support long-term decarbonisation goals."
