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Gold/Mining/Energy : Global Thermoelectric - SOFC Fuel cells (GLE:TSE) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Sam who wrote (5897)	4/28/2003 1:50:15 PM
From: Casaubon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 6016

Department of Energy Selects FuelCell Energy as Contractor For Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance Fuel Cell Project Wednesday April 23, 4:40 pm ET 10-Year Cost-Shared Project Totals $139 Million; $24 Million Expected for 3-Year First Phase DANBURY, Conn., April 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- FuelCell Energy, Inc. (Nasdaq: FCEL - News) announced today that it has been selected by the Department of Energy as a new project participant for its Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance (SECA) program, subject to negotiation of a final agreement. The total project award amount for the ten-year solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) development program is approximately $139 million that will be cost-shared with the DOE. ADVERTISEMENT The goal of SECA program is to accelerate the commercialization of low-cost solid oxide fuel cells as quickly as possible over the next decade, a key element of DOE's commitment to developing clean, efficient, reliable and affordable power generation for virtually all markets. When fully developed as planned, this program will develop SOFC modules in the 3-kilowatt to 10-kilowatt size range that can be fitted together for combined heat and power products for applications up to 100 kilowatts. Target markets identified include remote sites, telecommunications, commercial and residential buildings, back-up, mobile standby and auxiliary power units. DOE selected FuelCell Energy based on the expertise of its team and its advanced state of development of high temperature Direct FuelCell® (DFC®) carbonate technology, systems development, manufacturing experience and progress it has made in its commercialization efforts, thereby providing the best leadership and skills to develop SOFC technology. The FuelCell Energy team members currently include Versa Power Systems (VPS), Materials and Systems Research, Inc. (MSRI), University of Utah (UU), Gas Technology Institute (GTI), Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Dana Corporation (Dana) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). "Fuel cells play a central role in President Bush's vision of a new hydrogen energy future," U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said. "Hydrogen fuel cells will help free us of our dependence on foreign oil and eliminate harmful emissions." "This award by the DOE recognizes our strength and expertise as a leader in high temperature fuel cell product development and commercialization for stationary power applications," said Jerry D. Leitman, Chairman and CEO of FuelCell Energy, Inc. "The skills and experience we have gained with our DFC power plants will enable us to meet the goals of DOE's SECA program." FuelCell Energy, as team leader, will coordinate development activities of all participants and will contribute its expertise in fuel cell manufacturing, assembly, stacking, sealing, internal reforming, advanced cooling to boost electrical efficiency and product packaging. The cell technology approach will be based on UU's anode-supported SOFC design. The stack technology will draw upon the advances made by MSRI complemented by thermal integration for efficient cooling by GTI. Modeling expertise will be provided by PNNL. Innovative seal designs will be based on Dana's experience in the automotive industry and FuelCell Energy's experience in carbonate fuel cells. The worldwide energy industry relationships of GTI and EPRI will be valuable in the commercialization of this technology. The proposed technology plan is based on a sound approach that combines the complementary strengths of the participant companies for greater synergy. The FuelCell Energy team will base much of its concept on being able to lower the fuel cell's operating temperature. Current ceramic fuel cells operate in excess of 1000 degrees C (or more than 1800 degrees F). By bringing temperatures down to 700 degrees C (or nearly 1300 degrees F), FuelCell Energy can use lower cost metal alloys, reduce insulation, strengthen seals, and make other improvements to reduce costs. The lower temperatures also will permit the Company to transfer many of the innovations it developed for its commercial line of molten carbonate fuel cells to its solid oxide design. The 10-year program has three phases. The first phase will develop stationary modules in the 3 to 10 kilowatt size range and scalable systems for applications up to 100 kilowatts operating on natural gas with target efficiencies of 45 percent. Phase one is scheduled to be a three-year, $24 million program to be cost-shared by DOE and the FuelCell Energy team. Phases two and three will focus on enhancing system efficiencies to 50 percent and 55 percent, respectively, as well as operating on additional fuels such as propane and diesel. The development of hybrid power plants combining fuel cells with turbines and stirling engines will also be evaluated in the latter phases. Advancement to these stages is dependent upon successes achieved in Phase one and subsequent congressional appropriations.

To: Sam who wrote (5897)	9/8/2003 12:03:19 AM
From: CH4	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 6016

Call for Clean, Green & Decentralized Power Washington D.C. - September 5, 2003 [SolarAccess.com] According to the conservationist organization, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), shifting to greater reliance on energy efficient and renewable energy technologies, and facilitating development of distributed generation (DG) capacity could dramatically increase the reliability of electrical delivery systems, making Americans less vulnerable to blackouts like the one that recently struck the Northeast. "While some claim that preventing another widespread blackout simply requires greater investment in the existing and antiquated energy system developed early in the last century, the real solution to our energy problems will require the United States to move on to the next stage of energy development of a cleaner, more efficient and more decentralized system," said WWF Director of Climate Change Programs Katherine Silverthorne. According to WWF, the national policies that would achieve this transition will help ensure reliable, clean power distribution without interruption throughout the United States. "Not only will such policies solve our electricity problems," said Silverthorne,"they can help the country achieve a number of other priorities: reducing air pollutants that cause global warming and respiratory diseases; reducing our demand for and, thereby, the price of natural gas; and saving consumers money." The problem cited by WWF originates from an antiquated energy system currently used that is based on an energy grid with large capacity, centralized power plants sited far from the consumers that need them. WWF identified two inherent problems with this system: The large plants that run the existing system are extremely inefficient-wasting up to 70 percent of fuel energy and causing significant levels of damaging pollution; and a problem in any portion of the massive generation, transmission and distribution chain can leave customers in a wide geographic area without power. "With persistent air pollution problems causing significant harm to the environment and public health and access to uninterrupted power resources an essential element of modern life, these flaws are unacceptable," said Silverthorne. WWF maintains that increased investments in our current energy system will not solve these problems and that clean energy is a central part of the solution. According to studies cited by WWF, investing in the status quo may make the United States more vulnerable, not less for the following reasons: -A system which relies on a few, large, exposed generation facilities and an extensive transmission system is highly vulnerable to attack, accident and natural disaster. And problems anywhere along the chain can affect a large number of customers in an unrelated area. -Grid improvement is expensive -- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory estimates that keeping up with expected growth in demand through 2020 will cost as much as $450 billion if we invest in the traditional infrastructure route. -Efficiency of the current system is extremely low. Centralized fossil fuel plants waste about 50 percent to70 percent of fuel energy by using inefficient generation technologies, losing heat energy that is produced when electricity is generated, and losing power through transmission and distribution systems-necessitating greater fuel inputs and causing more pollution. -Because generation is added in large blocks, companies must rely on long-term needs forecasts, rather than adapting growth as demand requires. The smaller size of DG units allows them to be added to meet demand, preventing unnecessary investment in excessive generation capacity. -Transmission across long distances requires potentially contentious rights of way through farms, communities, rural areas, wildlife habitat and cities. According to WWF, clean energy holds the solution for long-term safety and reliability for the following reasons: - Attacks on renewable energy resources, if they do occur, will not result in the devastating impacts that could occur if nuclear plants, large centralized fossil fuel plants, and pipelines are targeted-as they do not burn volatile fuels or produce radioactive fallout. -While electricity generated from DG units such as fuel cells, microturbines and solar panels cost more than currently available grid power, producing power locally can avoid costs of upgrading transmission and distribution networks. These avoided costs can tip economics in favor of DG. -Other countries are miles ahead of the United States in utilizing DG and renewable energy resources. Denmark, the Netherlands and Finland each produce more than 40 percent of their current generation from DG, and use less primary energy per $1000 of gross domestic product than the United States. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- solaraccess.com ... original