- Email: [email protected]
Bloom Energy SOFCs power Adobe's San Jose headquarters
NEWS where the electrical grid infrastructure is nonexistent or unreliable. Oregon-based IdaTech is currently focused on the telecoms backup power market, supplementing existing electric grid power. Combining its technology and cost reduction expertise with the acquired Plug Power assets, will enable IdaTech to expand into the telecoms off-grid power market, where there is no electric grid. The company believes that this represents a potential market size increase of approximately $1 billion. In addition to technical synergies, IdaTech believes it can leverage its established customer base to access the telecoms off-grid market. IdaTech’s ElectraGen™ products are certified in 21 telecoms networks worldwide, and with five of the top 10 telecoms providers. The company recently received a further order for its PEM fuel cell systems for use in wireless telecoms backup power applications in Indonesia, working with its local partner, solutions integrator Cascadiant [FCB, August 2010]. ‘Whilst this acquisition has significant benefits for IdaTech, our first priority remains to focus on the successful launch of our next-generation methanol backup power product, the ElectraGen™ME,’ says Harol Koyama, CEO of IdaTech. ‘The ElectraGen™ME is on schedule for December production, and is targeted at directly competing with on-grid diesel generator and battery backup power systems.’ IdaTech designs, develops, and manufactures extended-run backup power PEM fuel cell products for telecoms applications requiring up to 15 kW of backup power. Its portfolio of industry-certified fuel cell products are based on the company’s unique fuel processing, purification, and fuel cell system integration capabilities. IdaTech LLC, Bend, Oregon, USA. Tel: +1 541 383 3390, www.idatech.com Plug Power Inc, Latham, New York, USA. Tel: +1 518 782 7700, www.plugpower.com
LARGE STATIONARY
Coca-Cola NY facility generates clean power onsite via UTC Power
O
perations at the Coca-Cola Refreshments USA (CCR) production facility in Elmsford, New York are now being powered by two 400 kW UTC Power fuel cell systems. Connecticut-based UTC Power installed and is operating the PureCell® Model 400
November 2010
phosphoric acid fuel cell systems, which provide 35% of the electricity and heat required by the facility. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) provided funding to support the project. The UTC Power fuel cells onsite at CCR are capable of operating independently of the local utility power company. So if there is a large-scale power outage in the Elmsford area, the fuel cells will allow selected operations to continue at the facility while grid power is being restored. The Model 400 – based on the 200 kW PAFC technology formerly known as the PC25™ – has a proven 20-year product life with a 10-year stack life, and an overall system efficiency of up to 90%. It is designed to operate in water balance – i.e. with no consumption or discharge of water in normal operations – saving millions of gallons of water compared to central generation and other fuel cell technologies. Coca-Cola recently signed a contract to install two more UTC Power fuel cells at its bottling plant in East Hartford, Connecticut. The beverages giant already has Bloom Energy solid oxide fuel cell power plants installed at a facility in California [FCB, March 2010]. The company is also trialing vehicle applications, with a fleet of forklifts powered by Plug Power fuel cells at its production center in Charlotte, North Carolina, while Sacramento Coca-Cola Bottling in California has been running a leased Nissan X-Trail FCV for sales calls and promotional events [FCB, November 2009]. UTC Power, South Windsor, Connecticut, USA. Tel: +1 860 727 2200, www.utcpower.com NYSERDA: www.nyserda.org Coca-Cola: www.thecoca-colacompany.com
Bloom Energy SOFCs power Adobe’s San Jose headquarters
I
n California, software giant Adobe Systems has announced the completion of the largest commercial Bloom Energy solid oxide fuel cell installation so far, rated at 1.2 MW. The installation is designed to supply approximately one-third of the electric power required by Adobe’s headquarters in downtown San Jose. A total of 12 Bloom Energy Servers – each rated at 100 kW – have been installed on the 5th floor of Adobe’s West Tower at the company’s headquarters campus, which comprises three highrise towers and a parking structure. Four Bloom Boxes are assigned to provide electric power to each tower.
IN BRIEF Report says enough Pt ‘for many decades’ A new paper in Johnson Matthey’s Platinum Metals Review says that the platinum group metals (PGMs) are prevalent enough to meet demand for many years to come. As well as their established use in vehicle catalytic converters, PGMs are expected to be at the forefront of future developments in transport and energy through their widespread use as fuel cell catalysts. But some observers have expressed concerns that more than threequarters of the world’s known PGM resources are in the Bushveld Complex in South Africa. However, Professor R. Grant Cawthorn at the University of the Witwatersrand, dismisses fears about running out of platinum. ‘There are enough platinum group element deposits… to supply world demands for many decades or even a century using current mining techniques,’ he says in the study, The Platinum Group Element Deposits of the Bushveld Complex in South Africa. He notes that there are about 350 million ounces of platinum for every 1 km of depth into the Bushveld ground, while current annual production from the region is just 5 million ounces. As a result, he says that there is ‘abundant and adequate geological evidence’ that its deposits are far larger than mining companies have been able to prove or exploit to date. Source:
Neah, Electric Car Co sign marketing deal In the US, Neah Power Systems (www.neahpower.com) in Washington state is negotiating a development and exclusive marketing agreement with the vehicle conversion specialist Electric Car Company, based in Missouri. The proposed five-year strategic partnership will provide advanced fuel cell technology and ancillary products for hybrid four-wheel vehicles. The agreement provides ECC (www.electric-elcr.com) with exclusive rights to sell and distribute Neah’s proprietary fuel cells and ancillary products designed for hybrid onroad, four-wheel vehicles. ECC will also have the exclusive marketing rights to sell Neah Power’s fuel cells to other manufacturers of hybrid zero-emission four-wheel vehicles. ECC plans to engineer Neah’s unique siliconbased direct methanol fuel cells into its lowercost Pure Electric vehicles. Combining battery and fuel cell technologies is expected to increase the typical vehicle range from 50 miles (80 km) to as much as 250 miles (400 km) on a single charge, at what both partners believe will be a very affordable cost to consumers. Neah Power Systems recently announced that it is exploring merger and acquisition options with EKO Vehicles Private Ltd in Bangalore, India [FCB, September 2010].
Fuel Cells Bulletin
5
NEWS ‘Adobe has long been a leader in setting the bar for environmental sustainability in Silicon Valley,’ says Stu Aaron, vice president of marketing and product management at Bloom Energy. ‘With its significant installation of Bloom Energy Servers, the company can now enjoy a smarter, localized energy source that will both reduce its carbon impact and its electricity costs.’ Adobe will purchase biogas methane as feedstock through a five-year contract with a Pennsylvania landfill site, according to VentureBeat.com. Adobe will pay for the gas to be put into a pipeline, offsetting the methane used in California. The Bloom fuel cell installation is Adobe’s second major renewable energy installation, following the commissioning last December of 20 wind turbines. ‘While the wind is fairly constant, [the wind turbines] are not a large producer of energy at this point. Fuel cells look like they offered the best alternative,’ says Randy Knox, senior director of global workplace solutions for Adobe. ‘At this point and based on everything I’ve seen, I would say fuel cells are by far the best solution in an urban environment.’ Meanwhile, Reuters reports that Bloom Energy expects to be producing one box per day in the next few months. Chief executive and co-founder K.R. Sridhar says that the main limitation on the growth of the business is building a supply chain to feed it. ‘As the supply chain is ramping up, then we can ramp up, and at no point will our internal capacity become the bottleneck,’ Sridhar told the Reuters Climate Change and Alternative Energy Summit in San Francisco. The company has 50 systems deployed, and expects to have double that number in operation by the end of 2010, says Sridhar, who wants to be producing far more boxes to meet what he calls ‘robust’ demand. The Bloom Energy Server is currently producing power for several Fortune 500 companies in California – including Coca-Cola, eBay, FedEx, Google, and Walmart – following its market launch earlier this year [FCB, March 2010]. Bloom Energy Corporation, Sunnyvale, California, USA. Tel: +1 408 543 1500, www.bloomenergy.com Adobe Systems Inc: www.adobe.com
AFC Energy in UK project to add fuel cells to new power station
I
n the UK, three companies have joined forces to develop a ‘game-changing’ venture in clean power generation. Powerfuel Power, B9 Coal, and AFC
6
Fuel Cells Bulletin
Energy have signed a binding letter of intent to install AFC Energy’s lowcost alkaline fuel cell technology at Powerfuel’s Hatfield site near Doncaster. The agreement envisages the creation of a joint venture between B9 Coal and Powerfuel to exclusively develop low-carbon fuel cell power stations in the UK. B9 Coal will be responsible for installing up to 300 MW of AFC Energy’s fuel cell technology alongside Powerfuel’s planned integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power station. The agreement also includes an option to roll out the technology to further territories worldwide in the future. Powerfuel is constructing a large-scale IGCC, near-zero emissions power station with carbon capture capability adjacent to the Hatfield Colliery at Stainforth, South Yorkshire, with E180 million (US$250 million) of European Union funding. Initial construction will involve an 800 MW combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) facility optimized for syngas conversion and operation. Powerfuel then plans to convert the CCGT plant into a 900 MW IGCC power station fueled by its extensive coal resources at Hatfield Colliery. The syngas used in the plant can easily be passed through a gas cleanup process to produce hydrogen as a feedstock for AFC Energy’s alkaline fuel cells. This technology converts hydrogen to electricity at 60% electrical efficiency. The deployment marks the second clean coal project in the UK to adopt AFC Energy’s technology. In the summer B9 Coal announced that it is putting forward a major consortium bid for the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstration competition [FCB, September 2010]. The groundbreaking project proposed at Rio Tinto Alcan’s Lynemouth Smelter in Northumberland will combine AFC Energy’s fuel cells with Linc Energy’s underground coal gasification (UCG) technology, a process which could potentially give access to an extra 17 billion tonnes of coal in the UK. ‘The planned installation at a major low-carbon power station such as Hatfield is testament to the growing understanding of the fuel cell as a pull-through technology for the widespread adoption of CCS,’ says AFC Energy’s CEO, Ian Balchin. ‘AFC Energy’s fuel cell technology is gaining considerable momentum across a variety of industries and applications, including the chlor-alkali sector [FCB, February 2010], wasteto-energy, clean coal, and natural gas.’ AFC Energy Plc, Cranleigh, Surrey, UK. Tel: +44 1483 276726, www.afcenergy.com B9 Coal Ltd: www.b9coal.com Powerfuel Power Ltd: www.powerfuel.plc.uk
PORTABLE & MICRO
SFC wins German army order for portable soldier energy network
M
unich-based SFC Energy has received a further serial order from the German army, which will be introducing the portable Jenny fuel cell into a new energy network for soldiers. The units are based on SFC’s compact direct methanol fuel cell technology. The system solution consists of the portable Jenny fuel cell, the SFC Power Manager, a hybrid battery specially tailored to the system, and a solar panel, as well as extensive accessories. This flexible energy network allows operation of widely different power consumers – e.g. radios, navigational equipment, night-vision equipment, laser range-finders, portable computers, and PDAs – which can be used when stationary and on the march. The new order – worth approximately E1 million (US$1.4 million) – was received in the third quarter of 2010, and the systems are expected to be delivered by the end of the year. The hybrid solution links fuel cells, solar cells, batteries, and intelligent power management in an integrated energy network. It reduces a soldier’s load by up to 80% compared to conventional electricity supply solutions using batteries. The SFC Power Manager – an intelligent voltage converter – allows almost any device to be flexibly supplied with electricity using available sources, such as fuel cells, solar panels, or batteries. The network also allows different battery types to be charged on the move during operations. The power supply and energy management is fully automatic, almost silent, emissions-free, and almost undetectable. ‘With the second serial order from the German army in 2010, SFC is further extending its leadership as the main provider of independent power supplies in the defense area [FCB, July 2010],’ says Dr Peter Podesser, CEO of SFC Energy. ‘This is a significant milestone; we have moved from being a development partner to a product/system supplier.’
SFC Energy AG, Brunnthal, Germany. Tel: +49 89 673 5920, www.sfc.com
November 2010
LARGE STATIONARY
Coca-Cola NY facility generates clean power onsite via UTC Power
O
perations at the Coca-Cola Refreshments USA (CCR) production facility in Elmsford, New York are now being powered by two 400 kW UTC Power fuel cell systems. Connecticut-based UTC Power installed and is operating the PureCell® Model 400
November 2010
phosphoric acid fuel cell systems, which provide 35% of the electricity and heat required by the facility. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) provided funding to support the project. The UTC Power fuel cells onsite at CCR are capable of operating independently of the local utility power company. So if there is a large-scale power outage in the Elmsford area, the fuel cells will allow selected operations to continue at the facility while grid power is being restored. The Model 400 – based on the 200 kW PAFC technology formerly known as the PC25™ – has a proven 20-year product life with a 10-year stack life, and an overall system efficiency of up to 90%. It is designed to operate in water balance – i.e. with no consumption or discharge of water in normal operations – saving millions of gallons of water compared to central generation and other fuel cell technologies. Coca-Cola recently signed a contract to install two more UTC Power fuel cells at its bottling plant in East Hartford, Connecticut. The beverages giant already has Bloom Energy solid oxide fuel cell power plants installed at a facility in California [FCB, March 2010]. The company is also trialing vehicle applications, with a fleet of forklifts powered by Plug Power fuel cells at its production center in Charlotte, North Carolina, while Sacramento Coca-Cola Bottling in California has been running a leased Nissan X-Trail FCV for sales calls and promotional events [FCB, November 2009]. UTC Power, South Windsor, Connecticut, USA. Tel: +1 860 727 2200, www.utcpower.com NYSERDA: www.nyserda.org Coca-Cola: www.thecoca-colacompany.com
Bloom Energy SOFCs power Adobe’s San Jose headquarters
I
n California, software giant Adobe Systems has announced the completion of the largest commercial Bloom Energy solid oxide fuel cell installation so far, rated at 1.2 MW. The installation is designed to supply approximately one-third of the electric power required by Adobe’s headquarters in downtown San Jose. A total of 12 Bloom Energy Servers – each rated at 100 kW – have been installed on the 5th floor of Adobe’s West Tower at the company’s headquarters campus, which comprises three highrise towers and a parking structure. Four Bloom Boxes are assigned to provide electric power to each tower.
IN BRIEF Report says enough Pt ‘for many decades’ A new paper in Johnson Matthey’s Platinum Metals Review says that the platinum group metals (PGMs) are prevalent enough to meet demand for many years to come. As well as their established use in vehicle catalytic converters, PGMs are expected to be at the forefront of future developments in transport and energy through their widespread use as fuel cell catalysts. But some observers have expressed concerns that more than threequarters of the world’s known PGM resources are in the Bushveld Complex in South Africa. However, Professor R. Grant Cawthorn at the University of the Witwatersrand, dismisses fears about running out of platinum. ‘There are enough platinum group element deposits… to supply world demands for many decades or even a century using current mining techniques,’ he says in the study, The Platinum Group Element Deposits of the Bushveld Complex in South Africa. He notes that there are about 350 million ounces of platinum for every 1 km of depth into the Bushveld ground, while current annual production from the region is just 5 million ounces. As a result, he says that there is ‘abundant and adequate geological evidence’ that its deposits are far larger than mining companies have been able to prove or exploit to date. Source:
Neah, Electric Car Co sign marketing deal In the US, Neah Power Systems (www.neahpower.com) in Washington state is negotiating a development and exclusive marketing agreement with the vehicle conversion specialist Electric Car Company, based in Missouri. The proposed five-year strategic partnership will provide advanced fuel cell technology and ancillary products for hybrid four-wheel vehicles. The agreement provides ECC (www.electric-elcr.com) with exclusive rights to sell and distribute Neah’s proprietary fuel cells and ancillary products designed for hybrid onroad, four-wheel vehicles. ECC will also have the exclusive marketing rights to sell Neah Power’s fuel cells to other manufacturers of hybrid zero-emission four-wheel vehicles. ECC plans to engineer Neah’s unique siliconbased direct methanol fuel cells into its lowercost Pure Electric vehicles. Combining battery and fuel cell technologies is expected to increase the typical vehicle range from 50 miles (80 km) to as much as 250 miles (400 km) on a single charge, at what both partners believe will be a very affordable cost to consumers. Neah Power Systems recently announced that it is exploring merger and acquisition options with EKO Vehicles Private Ltd in Bangalore, India [FCB, September 2010].
Fuel Cells Bulletin
5
NEWS ‘Adobe has long been a leader in setting the bar for environmental sustainability in Silicon Valley,’ says Stu Aaron, vice president of marketing and product management at Bloom Energy. ‘With its significant installation of Bloom Energy Servers, the company can now enjoy a smarter, localized energy source that will both reduce its carbon impact and its electricity costs.’ Adobe will purchase biogas methane as feedstock through a five-year contract with a Pennsylvania landfill site, according to VentureBeat.com. Adobe will pay for the gas to be put into a pipeline, offsetting the methane used in California. The Bloom fuel cell installation is Adobe’s second major renewable energy installation, following the commissioning last December of 20 wind turbines. ‘While the wind is fairly constant, [the wind turbines] are not a large producer of energy at this point. Fuel cells look like they offered the best alternative,’ says Randy Knox, senior director of global workplace solutions for Adobe. ‘At this point and based on everything I’ve seen, I would say fuel cells are by far the best solution in an urban environment.’ Meanwhile, Reuters reports that Bloom Energy expects to be producing one box per day in the next few months. Chief executive and co-founder K.R. Sridhar says that the main limitation on the growth of the business is building a supply chain to feed it. ‘As the supply chain is ramping up, then we can ramp up, and at no point will our internal capacity become the bottleneck,’ Sridhar told the Reuters Climate Change and Alternative Energy Summit in San Francisco. The company has 50 systems deployed, and expects to have double that number in operation by the end of 2010, says Sridhar, who wants to be producing far more boxes to meet what he calls ‘robust’ demand. The Bloom Energy Server is currently producing power for several Fortune 500 companies in California – including Coca-Cola, eBay, FedEx, Google, and Walmart – following its market launch earlier this year [FCB, March 2010]. Bloom Energy Corporation, Sunnyvale, California, USA. Tel: +1 408 543 1500, www.bloomenergy.com Adobe Systems Inc: www.adobe.com
AFC Energy in UK project to add fuel cells to new power station
I
n the UK, three companies have joined forces to develop a ‘game-changing’ venture in clean power generation. Powerfuel Power, B9 Coal, and AFC
6
Fuel Cells Bulletin
Energy have signed a binding letter of intent to install AFC Energy’s lowcost alkaline fuel cell technology at Powerfuel’s Hatfield site near Doncaster. The agreement envisages the creation of a joint venture between B9 Coal and Powerfuel to exclusively develop low-carbon fuel cell power stations in the UK. B9 Coal will be responsible for installing up to 300 MW of AFC Energy’s fuel cell technology alongside Powerfuel’s planned integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power station. The agreement also includes an option to roll out the technology to further territories worldwide in the future. Powerfuel is constructing a large-scale IGCC, near-zero emissions power station with carbon capture capability adjacent to the Hatfield Colliery at Stainforth, South Yorkshire, with E180 million (US$250 million) of European Union funding. Initial construction will involve an 800 MW combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) facility optimized for syngas conversion and operation. Powerfuel then plans to convert the CCGT plant into a 900 MW IGCC power station fueled by its extensive coal resources at Hatfield Colliery. The syngas used in the plant can easily be passed through a gas cleanup process to produce hydrogen as a feedstock for AFC Energy’s alkaline fuel cells. This technology converts hydrogen to electricity at 60% electrical efficiency. The deployment marks the second clean coal project in the UK to adopt AFC Energy’s technology. In the summer B9 Coal announced that it is putting forward a major consortium bid for the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstration competition [FCB, September 2010]. The groundbreaking project proposed at Rio Tinto Alcan’s Lynemouth Smelter in Northumberland will combine AFC Energy’s fuel cells with Linc Energy’s underground coal gasification (UCG) technology, a process which could potentially give access to an extra 17 billion tonnes of coal in the UK. ‘The planned installation at a major low-carbon power station such as Hatfield is testament to the growing understanding of the fuel cell as a pull-through technology for the widespread adoption of CCS,’ says AFC Energy’s CEO, Ian Balchin. ‘AFC Energy’s fuel cell technology is gaining considerable momentum across a variety of industries and applications, including the chlor-alkali sector [FCB, February 2010], wasteto-energy, clean coal, and natural gas.’ AFC Energy Plc, Cranleigh, Surrey, UK. Tel: +44 1483 276726, www.afcenergy.com B9 Coal Ltd: www.b9coal.com Powerfuel Power Ltd: www.powerfuel.plc.uk
PORTABLE & MICRO
SFC wins German army order for portable soldier energy network
M
unich-based SFC Energy has received a further serial order from the German army, which will be introducing the portable Jenny fuel cell into a new energy network for soldiers. The units are based on SFC’s compact direct methanol fuel cell technology. The system solution consists of the portable Jenny fuel cell, the SFC Power Manager, a hybrid battery specially tailored to the system, and a solar panel, as well as extensive accessories. This flexible energy network allows operation of widely different power consumers – e.g. radios, navigational equipment, night-vision equipment, laser range-finders, portable computers, and PDAs – which can be used when stationary and on the march. The new order – worth approximately E1 million (US$1.4 million) – was received in the third quarter of 2010, and the systems are expected to be delivered by the end of the year. The hybrid solution links fuel cells, solar cells, batteries, and intelligent power management in an integrated energy network. It reduces a soldier’s load by up to 80% compared to conventional electricity supply solutions using batteries. The SFC Power Manager – an intelligent voltage converter – allows almost any device to be flexibly supplied with electricity using available sources, such as fuel cells, solar panels, or batteries. The network also allows different battery types to be charged on the move during operations. The power supply and energy management is fully automatic, almost silent, emissions-free, and almost undetectable. ‘With the second serial order from the German army in 2010, SFC is further extending its leadership as the main provider of independent power supplies in the defense area [FCB, July 2010],’ says Dr Peter Podesser, CEO of SFC Energy. ‘This is a significant milestone; we have moved from being a development partner to a product/system supplier.’
SFC Energy AG, Brunnthal, Germany. Tel: +49 89 673 5920, www.sfc.com
November 2010