FuelCell Energy Gives the Hydrogen Economy a Push Forward
By Andrew K. Burger
08 Sep 2007 at 12:37 PM GMT-04:00
resourceinvestor.com
PRETORIA, South Africa (ResourceInvestor.com) -- Initially used by NASA to generate electricity and produce drinking water on space flights, fuel cells now power and heat buildings in Essen and Hamburg, Germany, Chiba and Fukuoka in Japan and at Four Times Square in New York City. Royal Dutch Shell [NYSE:RDS-B] and General Electric [NYSE:GM] are teaming up to develop and distribute Plug Power fuel cell units for the home while GM is following a similar course by developing premium power units for high-tech industrial and commercial facilities, as well as fuel cells for the home and a new generation of automobiles.
Smaller, younger and exchange-listed companies are also making their mark in the fuel cell world. The Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, the University of Connecticut, the Dept. of Defense and FuelCell Energy [Nasdaq:FCEL] on Sept. 6 celebrated the successful pilot demonstration of FCEL’s Electrochemical Hydrogen Separator (EHS), a system for capturing excess hydrogen produced by fuel cells and using it to produce either more electricity or hydrogen fuel for subsequent use in industrial or commercial processes or in transportation.
A Successful Demo Helps Pave the Way Forward
Operating continuously for more than 6,000 hours with no change in performance during demonstrations managed by the DoD’s US Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, a combined fuel cell/EHS system generated 2 kilowatts of electrical power and separated hydrogen sufficient to fuel three fuel cell vehicles per day in its separation mode.
Results also showed that such units can reduce operating costs between 30%-60% compared with commercially available hydrogen separation systems, holding out the promise of making hydrogen cost-competitive with gasoline, according to a jointly issued media release.
Recently enacted regulations mandate the use of alternative, cleaner power and fuel in the US military.
“The introduction of a sustainable hydrogen infrastructure at our bases supports goals and requirements in EP Act 2005, Executive Order 13423, and the Army Energy Strategy for Installations,” Franklin H. Holcomb, project leader of ERDC-CERL’s fuel cell team, said in a statement.
More broadly, the proof-of-concept pilot demonstration is another step forward along the path towards developing cleaner, sustainable sources of energy and a hydrogen economy, according to project participants.
“We are excited by the successful outcome of the EHS demonstration,” Lise Dondy, president of the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, said. “This technology has the potential to offer industrial customers who need both hydrogen and electric power – such as semiconductor producers, industrial gas companies, glass manufacturers and metal heat treatment facilities – a cost-effective option.”
“This first demonstration is an important milestone toward making hydrogen powered cars a reality. It opens the pathway for on-site hydrogen co-production for industrial customers now, leading to the hydrogen economy in the future. The combined market for military, industrial and transportation use of on-site hydrogen is well above 10 billion dollars,” added Pinakin Patel, director of Special Systems and Research for FCE.
Capturing & Using VOCs
The successful EHS demonstration is another feather in FCE’s cap. The company announced a rash of deals since August, indicative of the growing interest in and use of fuel cells in a variety of economic sectors while producing hydrogen and electricity from a growing range of organic feedstock.
On August 30, FCE announced that Ford Motor [NYSE:F] with funding provided by Industry Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Trade is purchasing one of its DFC300MA fuel cells at its Oakville, Ontario facility.
The Direct Fuel Cell power plant will capture volatile organic compounds in fumes produced from solvents used in enamel-based paints and clear coat finishes, funnel them into the fuel cell unit and generate 300 kW of electricity, according to an FCEL media release.
Due to be up and running early next year, Ford and Detroit Edison—which jointly own the rights to the paint clean up and separation technology-- may roll the system out to other Ford plants or license it to other manufacturers which likewise make use of similar paint compounds.
“By using the end-products of enamel and clear coat operations, we are eliminating the exhaust of thousands of tons of nitrous and sulfur oxides as well as CO2 – a major greenhouse gas,” Andrew Skok, FCEL’s executive director of strategic marketing, said in the release. “As this application shows, the fuel flexibility of our DFC300MA opens up an entirely new, very large market for us.”
Growing Use at Wastewater Treatment Plants
One day earlier, on Aug. 29, FCEL announced the purchase of a 1.2 megawatt (MW) Ultra-Clean power plant by California’s Turlock Irrigation District to help meet growing energy needs and improve air quality in the San Joaquin Valley Air Basin.
Installed at the city of Turlock’s Regional Water Quality Control Facility, electricity generation will result from the capture of methane gas produced from wastewater treatment. Electricity generated by FCEL’s DFC1500™ unit will provide electricity for approximately 1,000 homes and businesses in the area, which extends some 662 square miles with a population of approximately 220,000, according to an FCEL media release.
Generating the electricity through methane capture and the fuel cell plant is expected to reduce the District’s carbon footprint by some 5,200 tons per year compared with a typical fossil fuel powered plant while also saving on fuel costs.
According to FCEL, its Direct Fuel Cell power plants have a system efficiency of 47%, significantly higher than traditional power plants and hence cheaper to produce a megawatt of electricity. Efficiency rates can reach as high as 80% if waste heat is captured and fed back into the system.
“Wastewater treatment facilities are the perfect application for our fuel cells in the state of California,” William Karambelas, FCEL vice-president of business development, said in the release. “By their nature, wastewater treatment facilities are located near population centers, many of which are growing fast, so there is a critical need for added power generation to be not only highly efficient, but also Ultra-Clean.” |
