1.1. International and National Policy against Global Warming
In the international movement to combat the threats of climate change, cogeneration systems (CGSs), especially fuel cells, are becoming common because of their high energy efficiency. Global recognition of the requirement for an effective and progressive response to the urgent threat of climate change led to the enactment of the “Paris Agreement” [
1] at the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 21 (COP 21) held in 2015. According to this agreement, the target of the global warming temperature limit was 2 °C, and the Japanese Government, along with other countries, declared a Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) [
2]. The reduction target of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions was 26% by 2030 compared to 2013, and this NDC also included a reduction of 40% in the residential sector, which accounts for 14% of energy consumption in Japan [
3]. To realise this NDC, the Japanese Government designed global-warming countermeasures plans [
4]. There, the approaches in the residential sector were the higher energy-saving performances of residential buildings, the introduction of high energy-saving appliances, including fuel cell CGSs for residence, and the home energy management system (HEMS).
At COP 25 held in 2019, the necessity to shift the target of global warming temperature limit to 1.5 °C was discussed; therefore, the Japanese and other governments planned to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050 [
5]. To achieve this, the reduction target was increased in 2030 to 46% from the prior target of 26%; in particular, the target of the residential sector was increased to 66%. Thus, residential energy-saving measures are becoming an urgent issue.
1.2. Expectations of Fuel Cell Cogeneration System (CGS)
In Japan, a shortage of electrical power was experienced after the Great East Japan earthquake in 2011, which led to excessive energy-saving measures in offices and residences. Several field studies after the earthquake indicated the possibility of reduced productivity of occupants due to these measures, and energy-saving strategies that do not affect comfort and productivity were required [
6,
7].
Cogeneration systems (CGSs), especially fuel cells, have become increasingly common because of their high energy efficiency and their ability to produce electric power and heat simultaneously on site. On the supplier side, they have the potential to reduce the peak load of centralised electric power plants as well as losses caused by transmission. On the consumer side, they are also expected to serve water that is stored in tanks as well as generate power if a natural disaster occurs.
In Japan, a residential fuel cell CGS has been developed and has been in use for more than 10 years in detached houses and greater than 5 years in condominiums. The Japanese Government has set the goal of installing 5.3 million residential fuel cell CGSs in 2030 on the strategic road map of converting energy usage to hydrogen and fuel cells [
8]. However, they are not being implemented as rapidly as expected. One of the reasons might be that the initial cost is much higher than the cost of a conventional home boiler. Another factor might be that there is not sufficient information on the impact of a fuel cell CGS in an actual building and the conditions required to realise the potential performance of this system.
1.3. Previous Studies Related to Fuel Cell Cogeneration Systems (CGSs)
Several studies on fuel cell cogeneration systems (CGSs) have been conducted to estimate the energy-saving efficiency or CO
2 emissions reduction in residential buildings. Ferguson et al. [
9] developed a simulation tool to predict the performance of CGS in a building environment. They investigated various sized proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells through a case study in a Canadian detached house. They found that the optimal size of fuel cell for the house was 3 kW, which provided greater than 93% of the total electricity required within the house. Dorer et al. [
10,
11] compared the reduction capacities for primary energy and CO
2 emission of CGS and other devices in Swiss residences by simulation. They confirmed that fuel cell CGSs achieved 6–48% of primary energy reduction in comparison with a gas boiler. Pellegrino et al. [
12] compared the impact of different supporting systems for residential CGSs in Italy and other European countries. Di Marcoberardiano et al. [
13] investigated the techno-economic assessment of 5 kW proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) CGSs with different gas compositions in Europe.
The energy use system is substantially different in Japan from European and North American countries. Generally, Japanese residences do not use steam or hot water for heating or washing clothes. However, the hot water demands for bathing are much higher than those in European or North American countries. Japanese apartments do not have a central heating system, but gas boilers are installed in each flat. Energy efficiency level is not mandatory in residential buildings. As for electricity, reverse power flow from CGSs to the commercial power grid is not permitted in Japan.
There have also been several studies conducted in Japan on this topic. Kuroki et al. [
14] investigated the effect on energy saving, CO
2 emissions reduction, and utility cost saving of residential polymer electrolyte fuel cell CGSs in a detached house through a simulation. They concluded that the effects were higher in the cold climatic regions in Japan. Wakui et al. [
15] analysed the energy-saving effect of CGS in a detached house combined with a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle using an optimal operational planning model based on mixed-integer linear programming. Aoki et al. [
16] compared the energy-saving effectiveness among three types of CGSs with a variety of families by simulation in a detached house. They concluded that the energy-saving effect was influenced by the existence of household members during the daytime on weekdays and the frequency of bathing. Ono et al. [
17] evaluated the possibility of utilising the surplus capacity of hydrogen production in the residential CGS for fuel cell vehicles and investigated energy supply in collective housing environments in Tokyo. The effect of sharing one CGS between two households in apartments was examined through a simulation [
18], while the performance of CGS in detached houses has also been analysed [
19]. Yamamoto et al. [
20] compared the detailed performance of CGS according to the demand change in two detached houses. Akabayashi et al. [
21] simulated the effect of the peak electricity demand reduction by the numerical installation of 100–300 thousand CGS units in winter or 700–1500 thousand CGS units in summer into residences of northern Japan. Arinami et al. [
22] simulated the impact of primary energy consumption reduction by the nation-wide usage of surplus electric power generation by CGS.
Most of the studies were based on simulations, and there are only a few field studies using measured data in large condominiums. In 2018, condominiums accounted for 43% of the housing in Japan [
23]; thus, it is important to conduct research in this field.