NEWS

6Fuel Cells Bulletin December 2011

FuelCell Energy ships first 2.8 MW of fuel cell kits for Korea

US-based FuelCell Energy shipped 2.8 MW of fuel cell kits during

October to its South Korean partner POSCO Power, as the first monthly delivery under a two-year contract.

The 70 MW order – announced in May [FCB, June 2011] – requires monthly 2.8 MW shipments, beginning in October 2011 and continuing through October 2013, to fulfill demand in the Korean market for clean, effi-cient and reliable fuel cell power generation.

‘The 70 MW contract was structured with payments due in the third and fourth quarters of 2011, and subsequent progress payments, and both parties are meeting the contractual obliga-tions,’ comments Tony Rauseo, chief operating officer of FuelCell Energy. ‘Higher production volume enabled by this 70 MW contract is help-ing us realize lower cost targets, both in manu-facturing and with our supply chain.’

With more than 180 MW of power genera-tion capacity installed or in backlog, FuelCell Energy is a global leader in providing ultra-clean baseload distributed generation to utili-ties, industrial operations, universities, munici-pal water treatment facilities, government installations, and other customers around the world. The company’s molten carbonate power plants can run on a variety of fuels, including renewable biogas from wastewater treatment [FCB, August 2011] and food processing, as well as natural gas.

FuelCell Energy Inc, Danbury, Connecticut, USA. Tel: +1 203 825 6000, www.fuelcellenergy.com

POSCO Power: www.poscopower.co.kr

Construction contract for Bloom Energy station in Delaware

In the US, construction manage-ment company Hill International

has received a contract from Diamond State Generation Partners LLC, a related company of Bloom Energy Corporation, to provide construction management services in connection with the development of the Red Lion Energy Center in New Castle County, Delaware.

The Red Lion Energy Center will be a fuel cell powered, grid-tied, baseload generating station, using natural gas for fuel. Major equip-ment will include 135 Bloom Box fuel cell units, grouped in clusters. The plant facilities will also include a natural gas regulating station, a well, deionized water plant, water storage, an administration and control building, and stormwater management systems.

California-based Bloom Energy recently received approval from the Delaware Public Service Commission for a deal with Delmarva Power and Light, an electric utility serving Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. The contro-versial agreement will see Bloom Energy build a manufacturing facility in Delaware and supply significant fuel cell power capacity, subsidized by a surcharge on the utility’s electricity bills [FCB, November 2011].

Bloom Energy manufactures solid oxide fuel cell technology that generates clean, highly efficient power onsite from a wide variety of fuel sources. The company has already deployed more than 120 of its 100 kW Bloom Energy Servers in California, including recently announced installations for telecom giants AT&T and NTT America [FCB, August 2011].

Bloom Energy Corporation, Sunnyvale, California, USA. Tel: +1 408 543 1500, www.bloomenergy.com

Hill International Inc: www.hillintl.com

FCE power plants in world’s largest fuel cell park, running in Korea

The world’s largest fuel cell park is now operating in Daegu City, South

Korea. The 11.2 MW fuel cell park includes four 2.8 MW DFC3000 Direct FuelCell® power plants supplied by US-based FuelCell Energy. The electric-ity generated by this facility is sold to the electric grid, while usable high-quality heat is provided to a neighbor-ing water treatment facility.

FuelCell Energy’s partner in Korea, POSCO Power, sold and installed the DFC power plants to The Cobalt Sky, a Korean-based investment and energy consulting firm. The ultra-clean electricity is sold to an electric utility, and the high-grade heat to the local municipality for its wastewater treatment facility, under long-term power purchase agreements.

The high efficiency of the DFC power plants is particularly valued, as the units are being operated on imported natural gas. The electric-

ity generated by this fuel cell park is sufficient to power approximately 20 000 Korean homes.

The 11.2 MW fuel cell park only occupies approximately one acre (0.4 ha) of land, which is an advantage for providing envi-ronmentally friendly power in urban loca-tions. By comparison, a concentrating solar power plant of similar capacity would occupy about 55 acres (22 ha), according to the US Department of Energy.

‘Fuel cell parks like this 11.2 MW facility in South Korea are an attractive solution for electric utilities to incrementally add ultra-clean power generation throughout their service area in a cost-efficient manner,’ comments Chip Bottone, president and CEO of FuelCell Energy. ‘Our power plants are scalable, and we expect even larger fuel cell parks to be built globally.’

The core fuel cell components for this 11.2 MW project were manufactured by FuelCell Energy in Connecticut, with the sup-porting balance-of-plant produced in Korea by POSCO Power. This partnership between FuelCell Energy and POSCO Power illustrates the value of a localization strategy, to ensure the product best fits the needs of the local market while also creating local jobs. POSCO Power has ordered 140 MW worth of fuel cell power plants, modules and components since 2007.

Earlier this year FuelCell Energy received a two-year order for 70 MW worth of fuel cell kits from POSCO Power [FCB, June 2011], and recently commenced the first of its con-tracted monthly deliveries [see above]. The part-ners are expanding into the wider Asian market, with POSCO Power installing a 300 kW DFC300 power plant at the Ancol Dreamland water park resort in Jakarta, Indonesia, which is expected to enter operation by the end of 2012 [FCB, October 2011].

FuelCell Energy Inc, Danbury, Connecticut, USA.

Tel: +1 203 825 6000, www.fuelcellenergy.com

POSCO Power: www.poscopower.co.kr

BIC gains Angstrom Power, plans fuel cell chargers for portables

The BIC Group reports that its Canadian subsidiary, BIC Inc, has

acquired the assets of Vancouver-based Angstrom Power, which is developing portable fuel cell technology. The pur-chase price is reportedly C$18.7 million (US$18.2 million).

PORTABLE & MICRO

LARGE STATIONARY