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CFCL hits 50% electrical efficiency in micro-CHP
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CFCL hits 50% electrical efficiency in micro-CHP
M
icrogeneration system developer Ceramic Fuel Cells Ltd reports that it has achieved an electrical efficiency of 50% in its proprietary NetGenPlus micro-CHP system, which it regards as a first for the fuel cell industry. CFCL is a leading developer of SOFC technology to provide highly efficient and low-emission electricity from widely available natural gas and renewable fuels. CFCL is developing SOFC products for micro combined heat and power (mCHP) and distributed generation units that generate electricity and heat for homes. In February, CFCL reported similar levels of efficiency with its planar solid oxide fuel cell stack in a test station environment. The Australianbased company has now achieved the same result in a complete NetGenPlus micro-CHP system, comprising a fuel cell module integrated with all balance-of-plant components. The NetGenPlus unit has been operating at CFCL’s facilities in Melbourne, Australia in real-world conditions for approximately 1300 h (two months), using fuel supplied from the natural gas pipeline, and exporting approximately 1 kW of electricity to the local grid at 50% electrical efficiency. ‘High electrical efficiency is core to the value proposition for microgeneration products, and a key driver of our strategy and product design at CFCL. It is also a key requirement for commercial micro-CHP products,’ says managing director Brendan Dow. CFCL is developing mCHP products with leading appliance partners and utility customers in Germany (EWE and Bruns Heiztechnik), France (Gaz de France and De Dietrich Thermique), the UK (E.on UK Ltd and Gledhill Water Storage Ltd), the Netherlands (Nuon and Remeha), and Japan (Paloma).
Contact: Ceramic Fuel Cells Ltd, Noble Park, Victoria, Australia. Tel: +61 3 9554 2300, www.cfcl.com.au
4
Fuel Cells Bulletin
BayWa offers EFOY fuel cell for hunting cabins
T
he German agricultural retail company BayWa AG unveiled a hunting cabin with an integrated EFOY fuel cell from SFC Smart Fuel Cell, in the agricultural exhibition area at the recent Munich Oktoberfest. SFC’s direct methanol technology provides an environmentally friendly, lightweight and silent power solution for hunting cabins that ensures 24/7 power availability in the cabin, in any season and weather. The EFOY fuel cell is directly connected to the cabin battery, continuously monitoring the battery’s charge state. Once this drops under a predefined level due to power consumption of lights, fridge or radio, the fuel cell will automatically start operation and recharge the battery. When the battery is full, the fuel cell will automatically return to standby. The use of an inverter allows the operation of devices requiring 230 V in the cabin. An SFC M10 methanol cartridge with 10 liters of fuel contains 11.1 kWh of power, sufficient to independently operate the cabin’s electrical consumers for up to 14 days. Such cartridges – available at all BayWa retail stores – mean that cabin owners can store a lot of energy at very low weight at their cabin. BayWa offers a cabin preequipped with an EFOY fuel cell, as well as individual units for integration into existing cabins. The EFOY fuel cell will also operate in hybrid mode with a solar cell, only switching on when the solar cell does not produce enough power. In fair weather the cabin owner thus uses solar power, while in bad weather or in winter the fuel cell ensures fully charged batteries.
Contact: SFC Smart Fuel Cell AG, Brunnthal-Nord, Germany. Tel: +49 89 673 5920, www.sfc.com
Ceres module meets alpha target on schedule
U
K-based SOFC developer Ceres Power has successfully built and tested a 1 kW fuel cell module meeting the performance, size and weight requirements under the ‘alpha’ phase of its combined heat and power (CHP) program with British Gas. The fuel cell module is at the heart of Ceres’ integrated, wall-mountable residential CHP product. The close-coupled fuel cell module consists of the SOFC stack integrated with fuel processing and heat-exchange balance-of-plant elements.
The fuel cell module was operated on three different fuel types: mains natural gas, methane and propane. On each fuel, it delivered a maximum electrical output of just over 1 kW, and was operated over a broad range of power outputs to demonstrate its controllability and efficiency. The core fuel cell stack within the integrated fuel cell module demonstrated a heat to power ratio of better than 1:1, and was built using Ceres fuel cells made by scalable manufacturing processes. The company’s value engineering program has led to a major reduction in component part count. This has been achieved using innovative systems integration, and through pre-assembly of balance-of-plant elements by supply-chain partners as a core part of the firm’s design-formanufacture strategy. The compact fuel cell module weighs less than 25 kg including its thermal insulation, meeting the alpha CHP product targets. The size and weight achievements enable the CHP product to be wall-mountable and easy to install, essential for maximizing mass-market access. Achieving the milestone underpins the subsequent alpha milestones in Ceres’ CHP program with British Gas, namely the alpha CHP product build due to be completed by year-end and tested through the first quarter of 2009. Contact: Ceres Power Ltd, Crawley, W. Sussex, UK. Tel: +44 1293 400404, www.cerespower.com
Acumentrics SOFC unit tops 10 000 hours
M
assachusetts-based Acumentrics reports that one of its tubular solid oxide fuel cell systems has exceeded 10 500 h of operation, to become what the company claims is the longestrunning small-scale SOFC system. The 5 kW SOFC system, designed to provide stationary, auxiliary and backup power for commercial, industrial and military applications, began operation at Acumentrics’ Westwood facility in July 2006 as a demonstration that the technology could meet the Department of Energy’s Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance (SECA) minimum performance targets. After meeting or exceeding all targets in tests at the National Energy Technology Lab in Morgantown, West Virginia the unit was shipped back and restarted at Westwood. ‘This particular unit has continued to operate within the specified operating parameters for well over a year, and has been subjected to real-world conditions, including several power cycles and transportation to different locations,’ says Gary Simon, the firm’s president/CEO.
November 2008
CFCL hits 50% electrical efficiency in micro-CHP
M
icrogeneration system developer Ceramic Fuel Cells Ltd reports that it has achieved an electrical efficiency of 50% in its proprietary NetGenPlus micro-CHP system, which it regards as a first for the fuel cell industry. CFCL is a leading developer of SOFC technology to provide highly efficient and low-emission electricity from widely available natural gas and renewable fuels. CFCL is developing SOFC products for micro combined heat and power (mCHP) and distributed generation units that generate electricity and heat for homes. In February, CFCL reported similar levels of efficiency with its planar solid oxide fuel cell stack in a test station environment. The Australianbased company has now achieved the same result in a complete NetGenPlus micro-CHP system, comprising a fuel cell module integrated with all balance-of-plant components. The NetGenPlus unit has been operating at CFCL’s facilities in Melbourne, Australia in real-world conditions for approximately 1300 h (two months), using fuel supplied from the natural gas pipeline, and exporting approximately 1 kW of electricity to the local grid at 50% electrical efficiency. ‘High electrical efficiency is core to the value proposition for microgeneration products, and a key driver of our strategy and product design at CFCL. It is also a key requirement for commercial micro-CHP products,’ says managing director Brendan Dow. CFCL is developing mCHP products with leading appliance partners and utility customers in Germany (EWE and Bruns Heiztechnik), France (Gaz de France and De Dietrich Thermique), the UK (E.on UK Ltd and Gledhill Water Storage Ltd), the Netherlands (Nuon and Remeha), and Japan (Paloma).
Contact: Ceramic Fuel Cells Ltd, Noble Park, Victoria, Australia. Tel: +61 3 9554 2300, www.cfcl.com.au
4
Fuel Cells Bulletin
BayWa offers EFOY fuel cell for hunting cabins
T
he German agricultural retail company BayWa AG unveiled a hunting cabin with an integrated EFOY fuel cell from SFC Smart Fuel Cell, in the agricultural exhibition area at the recent Munich Oktoberfest. SFC’s direct methanol technology provides an environmentally friendly, lightweight and silent power solution for hunting cabins that ensures 24/7 power availability in the cabin, in any season and weather. The EFOY fuel cell is directly connected to the cabin battery, continuously monitoring the battery’s charge state. Once this drops under a predefined level due to power consumption of lights, fridge or radio, the fuel cell will automatically start operation and recharge the battery. When the battery is full, the fuel cell will automatically return to standby. The use of an inverter allows the operation of devices requiring 230 V in the cabin. An SFC M10 methanol cartridge with 10 liters of fuel contains 11.1 kWh of power, sufficient to independently operate the cabin’s electrical consumers for up to 14 days. Such cartridges – available at all BayWa retail stores – mean that cabin owners can store a lot of energy at very low weight at their cabin. BayWa offers a cabin preequipped with an EFOY fuel cell, as well as individual units for integration into existing cabins. The EFOY fuel cell will also operate in hybrid mode with a solar cell, only switching on when the solar cell does not produce enough power. In fair weather the cabin owner thus uses solar power, while in bad weather or in winter the fuel cell ensures fully charged batteries.
Contact: SFC Smart Fuel Cell AG, Brunnthal-Nord, Germany. Tel: +49 89 673 5920, www.sfc.com
Ceres module meets alpha target on schedule
U
K-based SOFC developer Ceres Power has successfully built and tested a 1 kW fuel cell module meeting the performance, size and weight requirements under the ‘alpha’ phase of its combined heat and power (CHP) program with British Gas. The fuel cell module is at the heart of Ceres’ integrated, wall-mountable residential CHP product. The close-coupled fuel cell module consists of the SOFC stack integrated with fuel processing and heat-exchange balance-of-plant elements.
The fuel cell module was operated on three different fuel types: mains natural gas, methane and propane. On each fuel, it delivered a maximum electrical output of just over 1 kW, and was operated over a broad range of power outputs to demonstrate its controllability and efficiency. The core fuel cell stack within the integrated fuel cell module demonstrated a heat to power ratio of better than 1:1, and was built using Ceres fuel cells made by scalable manufacturing processes. The company’s value engineering program has led to a major reduction in component part count. This has been achieved using innovative systems integration, and through pre-assembly of balance-of-plant elements by supply-chain partners as a core part of the firm’s design-formanufacture strategy. The compact fuel cell module weighs less than 25 kg including its thermal insulation, meeting the alpha CHP product targets. The size and weight achievements enable the CHP product to be wall-mountable and easy to install, essential for maximizing mass-market access. Achieving the milestone underpins the subsequent alpha milestones in Ceres’ CHP program with British Gas, namely the alpha CHP product build due to be completed by year-end and tested through the first quarter of 2009. Contact: Ceres Power Ltd, Crawley, W. Sussex, UK. Tel: +44 1293 400404, www.cerespower.com
Acumentrics SOFC unit tops 10 000 hours
M
assachusetts-based Acumentrics reports that one of its tubular solid oxide fuel cell systems has exceeded 10 500 h of operation, to become what the company claims is the longestrunning small-scale SOFC system. The 5 kW SOFC system, designed to provide stationary, auxiliary and backup power for commercial, industrial and military applications, began operation at Acumentrics’ Westwood facility in July 2006 as a demonstration that the technology could meet the Department of Energy’s Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance (SECA) minimum performance targets. After meeting or exceeding all targets in tests at the National Energy Technology Lab in Morgantown, West Virginia the unit was shipped back and restarted at Westwood. ‘This particular unit has continued to operate within the specified operating parameters for well over a year, and has been subjected to real-world conditions, including several power cycles and transportation to different locations,’ says Gary Simon, the firm’s president/CEO.
November 2008