South Korean energy-to-industrial equipment company Doosan Corp. has agreed with UK-based Ceres Power to develop solid oxide fuel cell power systems for commercial buildings here, the companies said Tuesday.

The two signed a collaboration and licensing agreement to jointly develop SOFC power systems targeted at the Korean commercial buildings market, in which the two see business potential alongside the Korean government’s plan of increasing the use of fuel cell electric systems in autos, factories and buildings.

A solid oxide fuel cell is an electrochemical device that produces electrical energy by oxidizing fuel, in this case, hydrogen.

The two-year, 8-million-pound partnership that includes licensing, technology transfer and engineering services is expected to bring Doosan’s fuel cell technology to the next level, said Dong Hyun-soo, vice chairman of Doosan Corp.

Doosan will take a system-level license of Ceres’ proprietary SteelCell SOFC technology to develop a 5-20-kilowatt power system, the company said.

Under its green energy initiative, the Korean government announced a comprehensive plan that includes increasing the use of renewable generation and hydrogen technology. It plans to increase fuel cell production for power generation to reach an output of 15 gigawatts by 2040. The country currently generates 300 megawatts from fuel cell power system for industrial use.

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)