- Email: [email protected]
CFCL to install BlueGen CHP unit for Paloma in Japan
NEWS advantages in terms of the materials employed. Ceres Power and BGE aim to establish fuel cell CHP as the low-carbon residential energy system of choice for Ireland. BGE is the leading Irish natural gas and electricity supplier; it also provides appliance servicing of products to customers, focusing on boiler service and repair. Under the terms of the agreement, BGE will pay Ceres Power £1.6 million (US$2.7 million) in milestone payments during the initial phase of development and trialing of the CHP product, including an upfront payment of £1m. In addition, BGE will place a call-off order for a total of 16 000 CHP products over a four-year period for the Irish market, conditional on successful completion of the initial phase and agreement of standard commercial terms, including price, for the supply of CHP products. Subject to BGE meeting minimum order volumes, Ceres Power has agreed to sell the CHP product to BGE for the Irish market on an exclusive basis for a four-year period, anticipated to begin in early 2012. Ceres Power recently signed a long-term supply agreement with Daalderop BV in the Netherlands [FCB, November 2009]. Ceres will mass manufacture fuel cells in-house – at its new facility in Horsham, UK [FCB, September 2009] – and assemble fuel cell stacks and fuel cell modules. The boiler assembly will be volume-manufactured by Daalderop, in accordance with Ceres Power’s complete CHP product design. Ceres Power, Crawley, West Sussex, UK. Tel: +44 1293 400404, www.cerespower.com Bord Gáis Éireann: www.bge.ie
CFCL to install BlueGen CHP unit for Paloma in Japan
A
ustralian-based solid oxide fuel cell developer Ceramic Fuel Cells Ltd has announced that Paloma, a leading global home heating manufacturer, will install a BlueGen™ combined heat and power (CHP) unit in its warehouse and sales office in Sapporo, Japan. The high-efficiency, low-emissions BlueGen fuel cell unit is the latest breakthrough in small-scale electricity generation. About the size of a dishwasher, each BlueGen unit can produce up to 17 000 kWh of fuel cell power per annum – twice the electricity needed to power an average Japanese home. Surplus electricity can be sold back to the grid. Under the agreement with Paloma, CFCL will supply a BlueGen fuel cell unit for a
December 2009
12-month demonstration, beginning in the first quarter of 2010. The BlueGen will be connected to the existing Japanese natural gas pipeline and the power grid. Ceramic Fuel Cells has been working with Paloma, which owns the Rheem, Solahart and Raypak brands, since early 2008. In September 2008 CFCL installed a demonstration fuel cell system at Paloma’s facilities in Nagoya. The BlueGen unit was successfully operated on one fuel cell stack for the agreed six-month trial, until the end of March 2009. The unit exported power to the local grid, and met all of Paloma’s technical performance requirements. These included daily modulation, where the power output of the fuel cell unit was turned up and down each day, to mimic the power needs of the average Japanese home. Ceramic Fuel Cells Ltd, Noble Park, Victoria, Australia. Tel: +61 3 9554 2300, www.cfcl.com.au Paloma Industries: www.palomaglobal.com
Baxi Innotech installs fuel cell CHP unit on Hamburg museum ship
A
fuel cell combined heat and power (CHP) unit has officially been put into operation on a museum sailing ship in Hamburg, Germany. The fuel cell unit, developed by local firm Baxi Innotech, now provides energy and heat in the former freight sailing ship, the Rickmer Rickmers. The Baxi Innotech Gamma 1.0 unit, operating on hydrogen reformed from natural gas, is the first of 100 such CHP units to be installed in and around Hamburg by the regional energy supplier, E.ON Hanse. The Gamma 1.0 system was launched in the spring at the ISH Trade Fair in Frankfurt am Main [FCB, May 2009]. According to E.ON Hanse, this project represents a further milestone in Hamburg’s aspiration to become a model location for local energy supply using this innovative and clean technology. This form of heating for single-family homes, which also generates electricity, covers 100% of the annual heating requirement. At the same time, it generates perhaps more than 70% of the annual energy requirement. Local specialist fitters – trained by Baxi Innotech – will carry out the installation and servicing of these units. The Baxi Innotech units are part of the Callux field trial, which is taking place throughout Germany. The Callux project is the largest practical test so far in preparation for the market launch
IN BRIEF Medis Technologies bites the dust New York-based Medis Technologies, which produced fuel cells based on its proprietary sodium borohydride technologies, has joined the long list of former fuel cell companies. The end came when current and former employees of its subsidiaries in Israel, More Energy Ltd and Medis El Ltd, initiated liquidation proceedings in an Israeli court. The officially appointed receiver is apparently talking to a number of potential buyers for Medis’ remaining assets. The staff had not been paid for three months, in the failed hope that the company would find an investor. Medis El laid off all 70 employees at its Lod facility; it had already fired 90 or so employees over the past year. More Energy developed a direct liquid fuel cell (DLFC) technology which led to a consumer fuel cell portable power product – the Medis 24-7 Power Pack. Apparently More Energy intends to continue development of its DLFC technology, and to expand its product offerings in the future. Japanese gas utilities pay subsidies to lift fuel cell sales In Japan, Tokyo Gas and Osaka Gas plan to offer subsidies to households that use both solar power systems and fuel cells, in order to boost sales of the latter. Power utilities this month started paying ¥48 (US$0.54) per kW for surplus electricity generated from home solar power units, but the amount falls to ¥39 for households equipped with both types of alternative energy systems. Because of this gap, some consumers are hesitating to install fuel cells. According to a Nikkei report, Tokyo Gas will pitch in ¥10 per kW on top of the ¥39 from power utilities, and pay the lump sum once a year. The company will invite eligible customers to apply for the program through March 2011. Osaka Gas will instead issue points – likely to work out to ¥9 per kW – and convert them into cash once a year. It initially plans to accept applications until the end of March 2010. Tokyo Gas’s annual payment for a typical household is expected to reach roughly ¥30 000 ($335), while that for Osaka Gas would be about ¥28 000 ($310). Both companies plan to continue paying the subsidies for 10 years. Sales of fuel cells to Japanese households began in the spring [FCB, March 2009]. Tokyo Gas and Osaka Gas have first-year sales goals of 2100 and 1300 fuel cells, respectively, with 30–40% of these units expected to be installed in tandem with solar power systems.
Fuel Cells Bulletin
5
CFCL to install BlueGen CHP unit for Paloma in Japan
A
ustralian-based solid oxide fuel cell developer Ceramic Fuel Cells Ltd has announced that Paloma, a leading global home heating manufacturer, will install a BlueGen™ combined heat and power (CHP) unit in its warehouse and sales office in Sapporo, Japan. The high-efficiency, low-emissions BlueGen fuel cell unit is the latest breakthrough in small-scale electricity generation. About the size of a dishwasher, each BlueGen unit can produce up to 17 000 kWh of fuel cell power per annum – twice the electricity needed to power an average Japanese home. Surplus electricity can be sold back to the grid. Under the agreement with Paloma, CFCL will supply a BlueGen fuel cell unit for a
December 2009
12-month demonstration, beginning in the first quarter of 2010. The BlueGen will be connected to the existing Japanese natural gas pipeline and the power grid. Ceramic Fuel Cells has been working with Paloma, which owns the Rheem, Solahart and Raypak brands, since early 2008. In September 2008 CFCL installed a demonstration fuel cell system at Paloma’s facilities in Nagoya. The BlueGen unit was successfully operated on one fuel cell stack for the agreed six-month trial, until the end of March 2009. The unit exported power to the local grid, and met all of Paloma’s technical performance requirements. These included daily modulation, where the power output of the fuel cell unit was turned up and down each day, to mimic the power needs of the average Japanese home. Ceramic Fuel Cells Ltd, Noble Park, Victoria, Australia. Tel: +61 3 9554 2300, www.cfcl.com.au Paloma Industries: www.palomaglobal.com
Baxi Innotech installs fuel cell CHP unit on Hamburg museum ship
A
fuel cell combined heat and power (CHP) unit has officially been put into operation on a museum sailing ship in Hamburg, Germany. The fuel cell unit, developed by local firm Baxi Innotech, now provides energy and heat in the former freight sailing ship, the Rickmer Rickmers. The Baxi Innotech Gamma 1.0 unit, operating on hydrogen reformed from natural gas, is the first of 100 such CHP units to be installed in and around Hamburg by the regional energy supplier, E.ON Hanse. The Gamma 1.0 system was launched in the spring at the ISH Trade Fair in Frankfurt am Main [FCB, May 2009]. According to E.ON Hanse, this project represents a further milestone in Hamburg’s aspiration to become a model location for local energy supply using this innovative and clean technology. This form of heating for single-family homes, which also generates electricity, covers 100% of the annual heating requirement. At the same time, it generates perhaps more than 70% of the annual energy requirement. Local specialist fitters – trained by Baxi Innotech – will carry out the installation and servicing of these units. The Baxi Innotech units are part of the Callux field trial, which is taking place throughout Germany. The Callux project is the largest practical test so far in preparation for the market launch
IN BRIEF Medis Technologies bites the dust New York-based Medis Technologies, which produced fuel cells based on its proprietary sodium borohydride technologies, has joined the long list of former fuel cell companies. The end came when current and former employees of its subsidiaries in Israel, More Energy Ltd and Medis El Ltd, initiated liquidation proceedings in an Israeli court. The officially appointed receiver is apparently talking to a number of potential buyers for Medis’ remaining assets. The staff had not been paid for three months, in the failed hope that the company would find an investor. Medis El laid off all 70 employees at its Lod facility; it had already fired 90 or so employees over the past year. More Energy developed a direct liquid fuel cell (DLFC) technology which led to a consumer fuel cell portable power product – the Medis 24-7 Power Pack. Apparently More Energy intends to continue development of its DLFC technology, and to expand its product offerings in the future. Japanese gas utilities pay subsidies to lift fuel cell sales In Japan, Tokyo Gas and Osaka Gas plan to offer subsidies to households that use both solar power systems and fuel cells, in order to boost sales of the latter. Power utilities this month started paying ¥48 (US$0.54) per kW for surplus electricity generated from home solar power units, but the amount falls to ¥39 for households equipped with both types of alternative energy systems. Because of this gap, some consumers are hesitating to install fuel cells. According to a Nikkei report, Tokyo Gas will pitch in ¥10 per kW on top of the ¥39 from power utilities, and pay the lump sum once a year. The company will invite eligible customers to apply for the program through March 2011. Osaka Gas will instead issue points – likely to work out to ¥9 per kW – and convert them into cash once a year. It initially plans to accept applications until the end of March 2010. Tokyo Gas’s annual payment for a typical household is expected to reach roughly ¥30 000 ($335), while that for Osaka Gas would be about ¥28 000 ($310). Both companies plan to continue paying the subsidies for 10 years. Sales of fuel cells to Japanese households began in the spring [FCB, March 2009]. Tokyo Gas and Osaka Gas have first-year sales goals of 2100 and 1300 fuel cells, respectively, with 30–40% of these units expected to be installed in tandem with solar power systems.
Fuel Cells Bulletin
5