Graphic representing NREL's Hydrogen Secure Data Center and the variety of applications from which it gathers data, including fuel cell (FC) stacks, FC backup power, FC forklifts, FC cars, FC buses, and FC prime power, and hydrogen infrastructure.

Graphic representing NREL's Hydrogen Secure Data Center and the variety of applications from which it gathers data, including fuel cell (FC) stacks, FC backup power, FC forklifts, FC cars, FC buses, and FC prime power, and hydrogen infrastructure.

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National Fuel Cell Technology Evaluation Center

The National Fuel Cell Technology Evaluation Center (NFCTEC) at NREL's Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF) plays a crucial role in NREL's independent, third-party analysis of hydrogen fuel cell technologies in real-world operation. The NFCTEC is designed for secure management, storage, and processing of proprietary data from industry. Access to the off-network NFCTEC is limited to NREL's Technology Validation Team, which analyzes detailed data and reports on fuel cell technology status, progress, and technical challenges.

NREL uses the National Fuel Cell Technology Evaluation Center to process and analyze data for a variety of hydrogen and fuel cell applications.

Laboratory Specifications

NREL partners submit operational, maintenance, safety, and cost data to the NFCTEC on a regular basis, typically every three months. NREL's Technology Validation Team uses an internal network of servers, storage, computers, backup systems, and software to efficiently process raw data, complete quarterly analysis, and digest large amounts of time series data for data visualization.

Application Scenarios

While the raw data are secured by NREL to protect commercially sensitive and proprietary information, individualized data analysis results are provided as detailed data products (DDPs) to the partners who supplied the data.
Individual system, fleet, and site analysis results are aggregated into public results called composite data products (CDPs) that show the status and progress of the technology without identifying individual companies or revealing proprietary information.
These CDPs are available on the NREL website:

• Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle and Infrastructure Learning Demonstration
• Early Fuel Cell Market Demonstrations
• Fuel Cell Technology Status

Partner with Us

Work with NREL experts and take advantage of state-of-the-art capabilities at the ESIF to make progress on your projects, which could range from fundamental research to applications engineering.
Some of our partners to date include the following companies and organizations:

• Federal agencies—U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Department of Defense
• Vehicle manufacturers—Daimler and General Motors
• Transit agencies—AC Transit, SunLine, and CTTRANSIT
• Hydrogen suppliers—Air Products and Linde
• Fuel cell developers—Plug Power, Nuvera, and ReliOn
• Organizations—Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association and the California Fuel Cell Partnership

Refer to the Fuel Cell Technology Status Analysis Project: Partnership Opportunities fact sheet for information about opportunities for industry to participate in NREL's fuel cell technology performance, durability, and price analysis.

Contact Us

If you are interested in working with NREL's National Fuel Cell Technology Evaluation Center, please contact NREL's Technology Validation Team at techval@nrel.gov.

Learn More

Refer to the NFCTEC fact sheet for more information.
Subscribe to the biannual Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Technology Validation newsletter, which highlights recent technology validation activities at NREL.