MHI has been successful in its operations to demonstrate its solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) at the "2005 World Exposition, Aichi, Japan (Expo 2005 Aichi Japan)", which drew to a close on a high note on September 25, 2005. There are great expectations for the SOFC as a next-generation energy technology.

The technology that MHI succeeded in demonstrating, was a cogeneration system that uses a radical design to go as far as packaging a small-scale boiler, and has at its core, MHI's unique structure flat-plate SOFC - the so-called "MOLB type" SOFC. The success was the result of the joint development with the Chubu Electric Power Company to promote practical applications for the system.

One system was installed in the Wonder Circus - Electric Power Pavilion, and the other in the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization's (NEDO) New Energy Plant at the world exposition. The two systems supplied electricity and steam.
Furthermore, we were successful in our advanced efforts to monitor and operate the system from remote locations (Chubu Electric Power Company: Nagoya; MHI Kobe Shipyard & Machinery Works: Kobe) by applying the control technology of thermal power plants.

In addition to being the first trial for demonstrating SOFC at large scale international exhibitions, we also recorded an output of 30 kW, which is a world record for output for flat-plate SOFC. The demonstration ran for close to 4,000 hours - or virtually for the entire duration that the Expo 2005 Aichi Japan was held. The cumulative energy generated was equivalent to roughly the amount of power consumed by an ordinary household over ten years; and for flat-plate SOFC, the demonstration exceeded the world record of 100,000 kWh, and has greatly advanced this technology toward practical application.

*MOLB = MOno-block Layer Built