Patent ID: 7388304

Claim:
A power supply system for generating drive power and supplying the drive power to a load, comprising: a power generation section that includes: (a) a fuel reforming section to which a power generation fuel is supplied, wherein the fuel reforming section is set at a predetermined temperature and produces a particular fuel component including hydrogen from the power generation fuel, and (b) a fuel cell which generates electricity-generation power using the particular fuel component; an external power supply connection section for connecting to an external power supply which supplies externally supplied power; a fuel supply control section which controls supply and shut off of supply of the power generation fuel to the power generation section; and an operation control section which (a) directs the fuel supply control section to shut off the supply of the power generation fuel to the power generation section, so as to stop the power generation by the fuel cell and set the power generation section in a standby state in which the fuel reforming section is set at one of the predetermined temperature and a lower preheat temperature using the externally supplied power supplied from the external power supply when the external power supply is connected to the external power supply connection section, and (b) directs the fuel supply control section to start supply of the power generation fuel to the power generation section, so as to start the power generation by the fuel cell and set the fuel reforming section to the predetermined temperature using at least part of the electricity-generation power when the connection of the external power supply to the external power supply connection section is released.