BOULDER, Colo. — During 2013 and 2014, the fuel cell market continued to see the greatest demand from stationary applications, including utility-scale fuel cells, fuel cells for industrial and commercial buildings, and fuel cells for residential power, noted Navigant Research. The spread of distributed generation (DG), which represents a shift away from traditional centralized power generation, is helping to drive strong interest in stationary fuel cells. According to a new report from the research firm, worldwide shipments of fuel cell systems are expected to exceed 1.5 million annually by 2023.

“Fuel cells fit neatly into the spectrum of technologies that support the DG movement,” said Lisa Jerram, principal research analyst with Navigant Research. “As a result, Navigant Research sees the stationary fuel cell sector as the one with the strongest global potential, in terms of fuel cell systems shipped, within the fuel cell market in both the near- and long-term.”