NEWS

November 2011 Fuel Cells Bulletin5

IdaTech designs, develops, and manufac-tures extended-run PEM fuel cell products for telecom applications requiring up to 15 kW of power. The company’s certified fuel cell prod-ucts are based on its extensive fuel processing, purification, and fuel cell system integration capabilities [check out the feature on IdaTech in our December 2010 issue].

IdaTech, Bend, Oregon, USA. Tel: +1 541 383 3390, www.idatech.com

T-Mobile USA: www.t-mobile.com

BioMCN: www.biomcn.eu

Brenntag Pacific Inc: www.brenntagpacific.com

Waste-to-energy plant in Korea using Ballard fuel cells to power grid

The fuel cell system supplied by Canadian-based Ballard Power

Systems to GS Platech in South Korea, is now providing power to the local elec-tricity grid, in a demonstration of waste-to-energy local power generation.

GS Platech’s pilot plant in Cheongsong uses plasma gasification technology to treat organic solid waste, and is capable of produc-ing sufficient high-purity hydrogen to generate 50 kW of zero-emissions power. The power system fueled by this hydrogen – incorporat-ing Ballard PEM fuel cell stacks – was supplied by Denmark-based Dantherm Power, Ballard’s backup power systems company. The order was announced in the spring [FCB, April 2011].

‘This is the first ever demonstration of a waste-to-energy system incorporating both of these technologies,’ says Jesper Themsen, man-aging director and CEO of Dantherm Power. ‘The successful operation of the system is a sig-nificant milestone in the development of waste-to-energy solutions, and speaks to our strong partnership with GS Platech.’

GS Platech aims to further promote this solution to new customers worldwide. To this end, it recently hosted tours of the demonstra-tion site in conjunction with the International Solid Waste Association World Congress, which took place in Daegu in October. Attendees learned of the potential for this waste-to-energy system to address two key environmental issues in tandem: environmentally responsible waste treatment, and clean power production.

The project was undertaken as a national research project of the Korean Ministry of Knowledge and Economy. The Canadian gov-ernment provided financial support through

Environment Canada, within the framework of the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate.

Dantherm Power A/S, Hobro, Denmark. Tel: +45 8843 5500, www.dantherm-power.com

Ballard Power Systems Inc, Burnaby, BC, Canada. Tel: +1 604 454 0900, www.ballard.com

GS Platech: www.gsplatech.co.kr

Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate: www.asiapacificpartnership.org

ACAL Energy hits key milestones to develop FlowCath technology

UK-based ACAL Energy has complet-ed the build of its first FlowCath®

fuel cell field test system, with a gross power output of 3 kW. The company has also achieved a new record peak perfor-mance power density of nearly 900 mW/cm2, a substantial improvement over the previously announced peak power record of around 600 mW/cm2.

The company will install this first demon-stration unit for its FlowCath platinum-free liquid cathode fuel cell technology, at the Solvay Interox chemical plant in Warrington, Cheshire. The system will provide continuous electrical power to a remote environmental monitoring system within the hydrogen perox-ide production facility.

The stack and regenerator subsystems in the demonstration unit are together capable of producing over 3 kW of gross electric power. This represents a significant scale-up from the previous-generation test unit, which produced about 1 kW of gross power.

The demonstration system is part of a collab-orative project led by ACAL Energy, co-funded by the UK government’s Technology Strategy Board. The project is seen as a major step towards commercialization for this innovative technology, and is supported by partners Solvay Interox, Johnson Matthey Fuel Cells, UPS Systems, the Centre for Process Innovation, the University of Southampton, and Cardiff University.

The new record peak power output from a single cell of nearly 900 mW/cm2 was achieved under a project sponsored by the Polymer Fuel Cells Challenge grant from The Carbon Trust, which is funding accelerated development of ACAL Energy’s technology for automotive applications [FCB, March 2011]. The latest performance results give the company a high

I N B R I E F

Toyota, Saitama City in EV, FCV projectIn Japan, Toyota Motor Corporation has signed an agreement with Saitama City for the joint implementation of a project to promote the use of next-generation electric vehicles, including fuel cell vehicles. They will encourage the use of various types of next-generation vehicles, and the construction of low-carbon infrastructure.

The E-Kizuna Project is being run in part-nership with private enterprise to create a sustainable, low-carbon society. Toyota and the city will collaborate to establish Saitama as an environmental city of the future, using diverse sources of low-carbon energy and able to withstand natural disasters.

Under the agreement, Toyota (www.toyota.co.jp) and Saitama City will investigate and cooperate in several areas, including the devel-opment of hydrogen fueling infrastructure, and the supply of next-generation vehicles. They will also create and provide incentives, such as measures to promote the use of FCVs for electricity supply, and support the early intro-duction of FCVs as public and government vehicles. In addition, there will be community-based support and educational activities.

Last spring, Honda announced it would build a Solar Hydrogen Station at the Saitama Prefectural Office, and use an FCX Clarity fuel cell car for mobile power, under an EV testing program [FCB, May 2011].

DOE report on pathways to commercial success; merit review and peer evaluationThe US Department of Energy has released its 2011 report, Pathways to Commercial Success: Technologies and Products Supported by the Fuel Cell Technologies Program. Initially published in 2009 and updated annually, the report doc-uments the effort to identify and characterize commercial and near-commercial technologies and products that benefited from the support of the Program and its predecessor programs within DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

In addition, DOE’s Fuel Cell Technologies Program has posted its 2011 Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report. Each year, hydrogen and fuel cell projects funded by DOE’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program are reviewed for their merit. The report summarizes the comments of the Peer Review Panel at the 2011 Annual Meeting that was held 9–13 May in Washington, DC.

The 2012 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting will be held 14–18 May 2012 in Washington, DC.

Pathways to Commercial Success: http://ow.ly/7I6L6

2011 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report: http://ow.ly/7I6Zu

NEWS

6Fuel Cells Bulletin November 2011

level of confidence in the ability of its technol-ogy to meet the efficiency requirements of near-ly all stationary and automotive applications, while delivering a substantially higher level of durability than conventional fuel cells.

‘We have shown that this new low-cost and durable fuel cell technology can be packaged and operated in a form suitable for nearly all station-ary power applications,’ says Dr SB Cha, the firm’s CEO. ‘To have broken new performance records at the same time is a very promising sign that we can also make this technology suitable for automotive applications.’

ACAL Energy’s proprietary technology replaces the platinum catalyst on the cathode in a PEM fuel cell with a low-cost, durable liquid chemical. This greatly reduces the total platinum content, since much of the platinum in con-ventional PEM fuel cells is used in the cathode [check out the feature on ACAL Energy in our April 2011 issue].

ACAL Energy Ltd, Runcorn, Cheshire, UK. Tel: +44 1928 511581, www.acalenergy.co.uk

Solvay Group: www.solvay.com

Technology Strategy Board: www.innovateuk.org

The Carbon Trust: www.carbontrust.co.uk

The Carbon Trust, Polymer Fuel Cells Challenge: http://ow.ly/7CXHh

Dantherm Power fuel cell system for Anglo American in S. Africa

Dantherm Power is to supply a 150 kW hydrogen fuel cell genera-

tor and associated engineering services to Anglo American Platinum – the world’s largest primary producer of platinum – for deployment at a mining operation in South Africa.

The Dantherm Power fuel cell generator, based on its DBX5000 fuel cell backup power system, utilizes PEM fuel cell stacks supplied by Canadian-based Ballard Power Systems. Dantherm Power – Ballard’s backup power sys-tems company – also recently received an initial order to install 30 backup power systems at telecom sites in India [see page 4].

The fuel cell generator will be delivered before the end of the year, for deployment at one of Anglo American Platinum’s mining operations in South Africa. The fuel cell system will be pow-ered by hydrogen generated in South Africa.

‘This deployment is an opportunity to dem-onstrate the readiness and benefits of fuel cell power systems in new vertical market applica-tions,’ says John Sheridan, president and CEO of Ballard. ‘Anglo American operations will gain first-hand experience regarding the ability for a fuel cell generator to provide clean and reliable power on a relatively large scale at a mining site.’

Ballard Power Systems acquired a control-ling interest in Dantherm Power nearly two years ago, in a partnership with Danish co-investors Danfoss A/S and Dantherm A/S [FCB, February 2010]. The joint investment and partnering support is expected to result in accelerated development of fuel cell backup power applications.

Dantherm Power A/S, Hobro, Denmark. Tel: +45 8843 5500, www.dantherm-power.com

Ballard Power Systems: www.ballard.com

Anglo American Platinum: www.angloamericanplatinum.com

PureCell systems for East Conn university, UTC Power HQ

Eastern Connecticut State University is working with nearby UTC

Power to install a 400 kW PureCell Model 400 combined heat and power (CHP) fuel cell system on its campus in Willimantic. UTC Power has also recently commissioned a PureCell Model 400 at its own headquarters in South Windsor.

UTC Power will furnish and install the PureCell Class I combined heat and power (CHP) fuel cell system at Eastern under a 10-year Energy Services Agreement (ESA). The PureCell Model 400 is a stationary phosphoric acid fuel cell power plant that is capable of generating 400 kW of continuous, reliable electric power while also producing usable ‘waste’ heat. (Meanwhile, Central Connecticut State University is installing a 1.4 MW Direct FuelCell® power plant supplied by FuelCell Energy [see below].)

The fuel cell CHP system, which is expected to be operational next April, will be installed on the west side of the university’s Science Building. The electrical output from the fuel cell will be routed to the main electric room in the building.

Eastern Connecticut State University will use 100% of the energy produced by the fuel cell system, to provide most of the power required for the Science Building, while maximizing the

use of the heat output available from the plant. Supplemental heat generated by the opera-tion of the fuel cell will be utilized by Eastern’s infrastructure. With effective utilization of the thermal output, overall system efficiencies of up to 90% are possible – more than double that of traditional power sources.

Eastern is home to the Institute for Sustainable Energy, which is recognized through-out New England as an invaluable resource for supporting sustainable energy conservation efforts in municipalities and public schools.

The PureCell Model 400 at UTC Power’s headquarters is prominently located at the main entrance, and delivers up to 50% of the build-ing’s electricity needs. The company installed the system in the summer, replacing an earlier-generation PureCell unit the company had used since the mid-1990s.

The new fuel cell is capable of load-fol-lowing, i.e. it automatically adjusts its power output based on the draw from the building. Byproduct thermal energy from the unit – about 500 kW – will be harnessed to provide employees with domestic hot water and heating for the building’s shop areas.

The fleet of PureCell Model 400 installations is steadily expanding, with units in operation or on order with a wide variety of end-users – from Cox Communications in San Diego [FCB, February 2011] to The Octagon luxury apartment community on Roosevelt Island in New York City [FCB, June 2011], and at sever-al supermarkets in California [FCB, September 2010], New York [FCB, February 2010], and Massachusetts [FCB, June 2009].

UTC Power, South Windsor, Connecticut, USA. Tel: +1 860 727 2200, www.utcpower.com

Eastern Connecticut State University, Institute for Sustainable Energy: www.easternct.edu/sustainenergy

FCE supplies 1.4 MW power plant to Central Conn State University

FuelCell Energy has sold a 1.4 MW Direct FuelCell® power plant to

Greenwood Energy, for location on the campus of Central Connecticut State University in New Britain. The ultra-clean electricity and steam generated by the molten carbonate system will be sold to the university under a long-term power purchase agreement.

The power plant will also be configured to utilize the high-quality heat created by the power generation process in a combined heat

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