Fuel cell systems, especially those fed with hydrogen, have reached considerable performance targets in laboratory conditions with constant loads and conservative environmental conditions. However, a check of the potential of such systems in real conditions is necessary, particularly in terms of varying electrical and thermal loads and of more severe climatic conditions. To determine the state of the art of such technology and to develop systems capable of supporting future national energy scenarios within the PNR-FISR project, "Polymeric electrolytes and ceramic fuel cells: demonstration of systems and development of new materials," the development of fuel cell systems ranging from 1 to 5 kW of power and based on either solid polymer (PEMFC) or solid oxide (SOFC) technology are in progress. in this paper, the demonstration of a pre-commercial PEMFC system fed with hydrogen and developed in cooperation with NUVERA is described. The system has been developed in order to determine its limits and capacity in relation to start-up time, response time, consumption, efficiency, reliability, etc. It has currently reached 1000 working hours of continuous performance with variable loads that simulate those of a typical residential dwelling. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.