Estimate Puts Fuel Cell Market at 1.2 Trillion Yen in 2020

According to a report released by Fuji Keizai Co., a Tokyo-based market research firm, Japan's fuel cell market will be worth 282.8 billion yen (about U.S.$2.7 billion) in 2015 and 1.2 trillion yen (about U.S.$11.7 billion) in 2020. This report on fuel cell development prospects was published on November 15, 2004, and was based on extensive research on technological development and market trends in this field done by the firm.

With respect to polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) for stationary applications, the report predicts that commercialization efforts will be stimulated by a large-scale monitoring project by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry that will start in 2005. Similarly, solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are expected to enter the practical application phase after ongoing R&D projects commissioned by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) are completed in fiscal 2007. The report predicts that these two types of fuel cells will lead the new market.

PEFC vehicles, on the other hand, will be offered mainly to corporate and government customers that own fleets of cars during the period from 2008 to 2015, while mass marketing to the general public will start after that period. As for micro-fuel cells, R&D activities are being accelerated for such applications as sophisticated cell phones and laptop computers, but the creation of a full-fledged market will have to wait until 2007, when fuel distribution will be deregulated.

Expectations regarding the fuel cell market have expanded since the release of this company's previous report in August 2003. This is partly due to Japanese government policies that now encourage research and development of fuel cells, as well as growing awareness of environmental issues on a global level.



Posted: 2005/04/11 08:19:25 PM
Japanese version