Abstract Solid carbon was investigated as the fuel for an intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cell (IT-SOFC). An innovative, indirect operating method involving internal catalytic gasification of carbon to gaseous carbon monoxide via the reverse Boudouard reaction (C(s) + CO 2 (g) → 2CO(g)) was proposed. The carbon gasification reaction rate was greatly enhanced by adopting Fe m O n –M x O (M = Li, K, Ca) as a catalyst. A peak power density of ∼297 mW cm −2 was achieved at 850 °C for an anode-supported SOFC with scandium-stabilized zirconia electrolyte and a La 0.8 Sr 0.2 MnO 3 cathode by applying a catalyst-loaded, activated carbon as fuel. This peak power density was only modestly lower than that obtained using gaseous hydrogen as the fuel.