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FCO Power develops next-gen SOFC stack for apartment systems
NEWS 2 kW power output. Hyteon has been supplying its mCHP systems to energy companies in Europe, Japan, and Canada since 2004. IE-CHP is developing and bringing to market power and heating products for the residential sector in the UK and Ireland. It was formed in 2008 as a joint venture between SSE, the UK’s second-largest energy utility, and Intelligent Energy, the hydrogen PEM fuel cell developer [FCB, May 2008, p5]. Two years ago IE-CHP received CE certification for its 10 kW CHP unit, apparently utilising PEM fuel cell technology from parent company Intelligent Energy [FCB, April 2013, p4], so this deal with Hyteon is presumably to offer more options for systems with lower power outputs. In other news, Calum Wilson has been appointed as MD of IE-CHP, to replace the retiring Mark Bugler. Wilson was formerly a commercial director at SSE, and led their joint venture in Forth Ports. IE CHP (UK & Eire) Ltd, Bellshill, Lanarkshire, Scotland, UK. Tel: +44 1698 849090, www.ie-chp.com Hyteon Inc, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Tel: +1 450 973 2022 ext. 242, www.hyteon.com
FCO Power develops next-gen SOFC stack for apartment systems
I
n Japan, FCO Power has announced the further development of its nextgeneration solid oxide fuel cell stack for residential fuel cell systems in apartments. The company says that the stack’s smaller size and lower cost make it realistic to install SOFCs in existing apartments. The Printed Fuel Cell™ is an SOFC in which all single cell layers (i.e. anode, electrolyte, cathode, and ceramic separator) are laminated repeatedly before sintering, and subsequently simultaneously sintered only once as a stack. The Printed Fuel Cell does not require a cell support, because it does not need to maintain mechanical strength as a single cell unit. The total thickness of a single cell and separator is just 0.4 mm, approximately one-tenth that of conventional technology. The stack under development for the company’s residential 0.7 kW system, which comprises a number of 70 W sub-stacks, is only 3 cm thick, which gives a world-leading volumetric power density of 5 kW/litre [FCB, November 2013, p10]. The simple, thin laminated structure of the Printed Fuel Cell also requires less materials, making it suitable for low-cost, automated mass production. FCO Power expects to be able 4
Fuel Cells Bulletin
to price it well below the target stack price of ¥50 000 (US$415) per kW for the 2020–2030 timescale, set by the Japanese New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). Part of this development work was conducted with the support of a NEDO grant. Use of this next-generation stack makes the hot module thin and compact. The all-ceramic SOFC stack has a unique cooling structure, allowing the use of thin layers and giving a uniform overall stack temperature distribution. The hot module volume, including heat insulation materials, is less than one-quarter of that of existing products. FCO Power exhibited this next-generation SOFC stack at the recent FC EXPO in Tokyo. The company aims to expand the target market to retrofitting in existing apartments, such as wall-mounted and porch installations, in addition to detached houses and new apartments. By leveraging this high volumetric power density and low-cost stack technology, FCO Power and its alliance partners aim to commercialise the SOFC system in 2020, the year of the Tokyo Summer Olympics. FCO Power is a startup focusing on SOFC stacks. Its predecessor, FCO Co Ltd, started joint R&D on next-generation SOFC stacks with the Japan Fine Ceramics Center (JFCC), a leading ceramics institution.
‘Indonesia has remote and harsh environments with significant energy challenges,’ says Marshall Towe, founder and CEO of Cascadiant. ‘We hope to partner with the Indonesian government and local companies to leverage domestically produced green energy sources and tap into the innovative spirit and leadership of BPPT.’ ‘Our MES™ (Managed Energy Service) offering eliminates the risks operators face in deploying new green technologies,’ continues Towe. ‘There is no longer any reason for operators to continue to pollute the environment using century-old, environmentally harmful diesel generators for backup power.’ Cascadiant is already deploying fuel cell power systems with telecom operators in Indonesia, including Hutchison CP Telecommunications [FCB, November 2012, p4] and XL Axiata and Telkom International [FCB, February 2013, p5]. Cascadiant’s Managed Energy Solution is built around the advanced ElectraGen™ PEM fuel cell technology originally developed by IdaTech in the US, itself now part of Canadian-based Ballard Power Systems [FCB, August 2012, p10]. Cascadiant, Singapore. Tel: +65 6220 6418, www.cascadiant.com BPPT: www.bppt.go.id/english Ballard Power Systems: www.ballard.com
FCO Power Inc, Nagoya, Japan. Tel: +81 50 3803 4735, www.ecobyfco.com/en
Cascadiant expands fuel cell R&D with Indonesia tech agency
S
ingapore-based ‘green’ energy solutions company Cascadiant Energy has expanded its agreement with the Indonesian Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT). Cascadiant and BPPT have deployed the agency’s first hydrogen fuel cell, which will serve as the commercial backup power source for the agency’s data centre, as well as priming the agency’s platform for expanding its fuel cell R&D programme. Indonesia – the world’s fourth most populous nation – has 25 000 diesel generators in use with its communications, fibre and broadcast industries for backup power, and an additional 5000 diesel generators are replaced or added every year. This has led BPPT to recognise Indonesia’s potential to lead the world in the development, manufacture and deployment of fuel cells based on domestic demand alone, hence its partnership with Cascadiant.
LARGE STATIONARY
Stop & Shop installs Bloom Energy unit in Mt Vernon, NY store
A
Bloom Energy solid oxide fuel cell system will power the Stop & Shop Supermarket Company’s store in Mount Vernon, New York. The 250 kW system will generate more than 2 GWh and reduce CO2 emissions by some 320 tonnes per annum. This fuel cell project is the latest addition to the clean and renewable energy portfolio of Stop & Shop, a division of Ahold USA, that also includes solar panel systems on the roofs of 38 of its stores. This project will continue to deliver electricity during grid outages, like those experienced in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in autumn 2012 [FCB, May 2013, p11]. Project support was provided by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). ‘This project in the New York metro area will contribute to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, and the environmental impact
March 2015
FCO Power develops next-gen SOFC stack for apartment systems
I
n Japan, FCO Power has announced the further development of its nextgeneration solid oxide fuel cell stack for residential fuel cell systems in apartments. The company says that the stack’s smaller size and lower cost make it realistic to install SOFCs in existing apartments. The Printed Fuel Cell™ is an SOFC in which all single cell layers (i.e. anode, electrolyte, cathode, and ceramic separator) are laminated repeatedly before sintering, and subsequently simultaneously sintered only once as a stack. The Printed Fuel Cell does not require a cell support, because it does not need to maintain mechanical strength as a single cell unit. The total thickness of a single cell and separator is just 0.4 mm, approximately one-tenth that of conventional technology. The stack under development for the company’s residential 0.7 kW system, which comprises a number of 70 W sub-stacks, is only 3 cm thick, which gives a world-leading volumetric power density of 5 kW/litre [FCB, November 2013, p10]. The simple, thin laminated structure of the Printed Fuel Cell also requires less materials, making it suitable for low-cost, automated mass production. FCO Power expects to be able 4
Fuel Cells Bulletin
to price it well below the target stack price of ¥50 000 (US$415) per kW for the 2020–2030 timescale, set by the Japanese New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). Part of this development work was conducted with the support of a NEDO grant. Use of this next-generation stack makes the hot module thin and compact. The all-ceramic SOFC stack has a unique cooling structure, allowing the use of thin layers and giving a uniform overall stack temperature distribution. The hot module volume, including heat insulation materials, is less than one-quarter of that of existing products. FCO Power exhibited this next-generation SOFC stack at the recent FC EXPO in Tokyo. The company aims to expand the target market to retrofitting in existing apartments, such as wall-mounted and porch installations, in addition to detached houses and new apartments. By leveraging this high volumetric power density and low-cost stack technology, FCO Power and its alliance partners aim to commercialise the SOFC system in 2020, the year of the Tokyo Summer Olympics. FCO Power is a startup focusing on SOFC stacks. Its predecessor, FCO Co Ltd, started joint R&D on next-generation SOFC stacks with the Japan Fine Ceramics Center (JFCC), a leading ceramics institution.
‘Indonesia has remote and harsh environments with significant energy challenges,’ says Marshall Towe, founder and CEO of Cascadiant. ‘We hope to partner with the Indonesian government and local companies to leverage domestically produced green energy sources and tap into the innovative spirit and leadership of BPPT.’ ‘Our MES™ (Managed Energy Service) offering eliminates the risks operators face in deploying new green technologies,’ continues Towe. ‘There is no longer any reason for operators to continue to pollute the environment using century-old, environmentally harmful diesel generators for backup power.’ Cascadiant is already deploying fuel cell power systems with telecom operators in Indonesia, including Hutchison CP Telecommunications [FCB, November 2012, p4] and XL Axiata and Telkom International [FCB, February 2013, p5]. Cascadiant’s Managed Energy Solution is built around the advanced ElectraGen™ PEM fuel cell technology originally developed by IdaTech in the US, itself now part of Canadian-based Ballard Power Systems [FCB, August 2012, p10]. Cascadiant, Singapore. Tel: +65 6220 6418, www.cascadiant.com BPPT: www.bppt.go.id/english Ballard Power Systems: www.ballard.com
FCO Power Inc, Nagoya, Japan. Tel: +81 50 3803 4735, www.ecobyfco.com/en
Cascadiant expands fuel cell R&D with Indonesia tech agency
S
ingapore-based ‘green’ energy solutions company Cascadiant Energy has expanded its agreement with the Indonesian Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT). Cascadiant and BPPT have deployed the agency’s first hydrogen fuel cell, which will serve as the commercial backup power source for the agency’s data centre, as well as priming the agency’s platform for expanding its fuel cell R&D programme. Indonesia – the world’s fourth most populous nation – has 25 000 diesel generators in use with its communications, fibre and broadcast industries for backup power, and an additional 5000 diesel generators are replaced or added every year. This has led BPPT to recognise Indonesia’s potential to lead the world in the development, manufacture and deployment of fuel cells based on domestic demand alone, hence its partnership with Cascadiant.
LARGE STATIONARY
Stop & Shop installs Bloom Energy unit in Mt Vernon, NY store
A
Bloom Energy solid oxide fuel cell system will power the Stop & Shop Supermarket Company’s store in Mount Vernon, New York. The 250 kW system will generate more than 2 GWh and reduce CO2 emissions by some 320 tonnes per annum. This fuel cell project is the latest addition to the clean and renewable energy portfolio of Stop & Shop, a division of Ahold USA, that also includes solar panel systems on the roofs of 38 of its stores. This project will continue to deliver electricity during grid outages, like those experienced in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in autumn 2012 [FCB, May 2013, p11]. Project support was provided by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). ‘This project in the New York metro area will contribute to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, and the environmental impact
March 2015