GENERATION DEVICE USING FUEL CELL

PURPOSE:To compensate the voltage variations caused in the low-load range of a fuel cell by applying voltage induced through a step-up chopper to an inverter in connecting DC electric power supplied from the fuel cell to an AC electric power system through said inverter. CONSTITUTION:Oxygen contained in air as well as a reformed gas principally consisting of hydrogen are supplied to a phosphoric-acid-type fuel cell 2 to cause them to react electrically with each other thereby obtaining a DC output which is then applied to a step-up chopper 32 so as to increase and adjust its voltage to almost an equal level to or a higher level than the no-load voltage of the fuel cell 2 irrespective of its output voltage. Next, the voltage of the step-up chopper 32, after being fed to the input of an inverter 33 and converted into AC voltage, is connected to an electric power system 6 through a transformer 4 and a circuit-breaker 5. Thus, the difference between the no-load voltage and the load voltage of the fuel cell 2 is compensated before the voltage is applied to the inverter 3. As a result, the efficiency can be enhanced by omitting a compensation resistor and the like. Besides, any damage to the inverter 33 can be prevented, and the size of the inverter 33 can be reduced.