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Delphi achieves Phase 1 goals for SOFC system
NEWS LBA EIS Tracker Fund III. Further angel investors were introduced to Bac2 by South East Capital Alliance (SECA), managed by Finance South East, Wessex Ventures, James Cowper Chartered Accountants and the University of Southampton Alumni Fund. This investment money is in addition to grant funding of £240 000 ($455 000) from the UK’s Department of Trade & Industry, which was awarded to a six-member consortium, led by Bac2, to optimize the ElectroPhen material for use in fuel cell components. Contact: Bac2 Conductive Composites, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton, UK. Tel: +44 23 8059 8572, www.bac2-electrode-materials.co.uk
Delphi achieves Phase 1 goals for SOFC system
M
ichigan-based Delphi Corporation has reached an important milestone in bringing solid oxide fuel cell technology to market by 2011, according to the US Department of Energy. A Delphi-led team working jointly with DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy has achieved all Phase 1 goals of the Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance (SECA), according to Wayne Surdoval, DOE’s SECA program manager. Delphi’s SECA demonstration system produced peak power of 4.24 kW on methane, the primary constituent of natural gas, achieving the goal of 3–10 kW. The system also demonstrated a peak efficiency of 37%, exceeding the Phase 1 goal of 35%, and matched the durability goal with power degradation of just 7% over 1500 h of operation. Delphi also met the Phase 1 goal of $800 per kW for the total power unit, assuming volume production, by achieving an estimated $770 per kW. ‘The Delphi team has passed an important test,’ says Surdoval. ‘In meeting SECA’s Phase 1 goals, it has delivered to DOE’s National Energy Technologies Laboratory a fully operational, highly compact demonstration system, capable of meeting the space constraints of many potential mobile and stationary power applications.’ SECA’s Phase 1 goals called for industry-led development teams to make meaningful progress in achieving cost, performance and durability improvements. A major challenge is that the technology is difficult to develop, because it is based on a new class of multi-layered ceramic materials. Additionally, the SOFC unit must be powerful and small enough for practical applications, yet durable enough for years of trouble-free operation, and cost-effective to manufacture and for customers to buy. 8
Fuel Cells Bulletin
Delphi and DOE will continue the partnership under SECA, says Mary Gustanski, director of engineering at Delphi Powertrain Systems. ‘Working with the DOE, we will proceed to Phase 2 of the program. This will be a three-year, cost-shared contract between Delphi and the DOE, valued at more than $45 million,’ she says. Gustanski continues: ‘Phase 2 goals will be to reduce the SOFC system factory cost to less than US$600 per kW, to increase efficiency to 40% or more, and to further increase power density. The Delphi team will also work to increase durability, particularly to withstand more thermal cycles.’ Contact: Steven Shaffer, SECA Project Manager, Delphi Automotive Systems, Troy, Michigan, USA. Tel: +1 585 359 6615, Email: [email protected], www.delphi.com/manufacturers/auto/fuelcells For more information on SECA, go to: www.seca.doe.gov
Ballard delivers cogen prototypes for Japanese market
C
anadian firm Ballard Power Systems has delivered the first prototypes of its next-generation fuel cell for the residential cogeneration market to Ebara Ballard Corporation, its joint-venture company based in Japan. The prototypes of the Mark 1030 V3 will be integrated and tested in 1 kW residential cogeneration systems. Featuring increased reliability and lifetime, with significantly less weight and volume, the fuel cell has been designed to meet the Japanese government’s 2008 targets of 40 000 h of operation – equivalent to a system lifetime of 10 years in the home. The Mark 1030 V3 fuel cell is compatible with both natural gas and kerosene fuel cell cogeneration systems. This standardization allows optimal manufacturing and market flexibility. It is also 40% lighter in weight than the previous generation, and 26% smaller. As a new form of distributed power generation in Japan, the 1 kW fuel cell cogeneration system is installed directly in a consumer’s home and is designed to generate the first kilowatt of electricity and all required hot water. This reduces consumers’ dependence on grid-based electricity. Product cost-reduction is a core focus at Ballard and Ebara for both the next-generation fuel cell and the complete residential cogeneration system. Under the residential fuel cell cogeneration program sponsored by the Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry (METI), the Japanese government has established a target cost of US$10 900
per system by 2008, based on planned unit-volume forecasts. In addition to the work that both Ballard and Ebara are doing to reduce costs, crossindustry component standardization programs are in place to support commercialization timelines. The companies reached an agreement in 2005, under which the Mark 1030 V3 fuel cell system would be assembled by Ebara in Japan by 2008. Building fuel cells at the point of commercial use offers benefits in terms of customer responsiveness and cost savings. Joint activities between the companies to develop the necessary manufacturing infrastructure are already well under way, supported by teams in Vancouver and Tokyo. Under the sponsorship of METI’s Large Scale Monitoring Program in 2005, 102 Ebara residential fuel cell cogeneration systems were installed, out of a program total of 480 units. According to the companies, the units led the field in overall efficiency at 74.9% (HHV), primary energy savings of 21.8%, and a 35.7% reduction in CO2 emissions, as reported by Japan’s New Energy Foundation last October. Contact: Ballard Power Systems Inc, Burnaby, BC, Canada. Tel: +1 604 454 0900, www.ballard.com Or contact: Ebara Ballard Corporation, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan. Tel: +81 3 5461 6558, Fax: +81 3 5461 6087.
MTI Micro hits energy density milestone
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Y-based MTI MicroFuel Cells has achieved an energy density of more than 1.3 Wh per cm3 of fuel on a 30 W Mobion® lab test unit. This represents more than a 30% increase in fuel efficiency, and is an important technical milestone as MTI Micro moves forward in developing Mobion direct methanol fuel cell products for applications in the military market. For the military markets, MTI Micro is focusing its proprietary Mobion technology along two separate platforms: a 30 W ‘high power’ platform and a 1 W ‘low power’ platform, both targeting key portable applications used in day-to-day military operations. The Mobion®-30 is designed to produce up to 30 W of continuous power in a portable, lightweight, power pack that allows deployed soldiers to use multiple portable electronic devices such as communication radios, satellite equipment, laptops and GPS devices for much longer periods of time. The system eliminates the need to carry multiple battery types and the constant swapping of batteries during a mission. For low-power military use, the Mobion®-1 is designed to produce 1 W of continuous power,
August 2006
Delphi achieves Phase 1 goals for SOFC system
M
ichigan-based Delphi Corporation has reached an important milestone in bringing solid oxide fuel cell technology to market by 2011, according to the US Department of Energy. A Delphi-led team working jointly with DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy has achieved all Phase 1 goals of the Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance (SECA), according to Wayne Surdoval, DOE’s SECA program manager. Delphi’s SECA demonstration system produced peak power of 4.24 kW on methane, the primary constituent of natural gas, achieving the goal of 3–10 kW. The system also demonstrated a peak efficiency of 37%, exceeding the Phase 1 goal of 35%, and matched the durability goal with power degradation of just 7% over 1500 h of operation. Delphi also met the Phase 1 goal of $800 per kW for the total power unit, assuming volume production, by achieving an estimated $770 per kW. ‘The Delphi team has passed an important test,’ says Surdoval. ‘In meeting SECA’s Phase 1 goals, it has delivered to DOE’s National Energy Technologies Laboratory a fully operational, highly compact demonstration system, capable of meeting the space constraints of many potential mobile and stationary power applications.’ SECA’s Phase 1 goals called for industry-led development teams to make meaningful progress in achieving cost, performance and durability improvements. A major challenge is that the technology is difficult to develop, because it is based on a new class of multi-layered ceramic materials. Additionally, the SOFC unit must be powerful and small enough for practical applications, yet durable enough for years of trouble-free operation, and cost-effective to manufacture and for customers to buy. 8
Fuel Cells Bulletin
Delphi and DOE will continue the partnership under SECA, says Mary Gustanski, director of engineering at Delphi Powertrain Systems. ‘Working with the DOE, we will proceed to Phase 2 of the program. This will be a three-year, cost-shared contract between Delphi and the DOE, valued at more than $45 million,’ she says. Gustanski continues: ‘Phase 2 goals will be to reduce the SOFC system factory cost to less than US$600 per kW, to increase efficiency to 40% or more, and to further increase power density. The Delphi team will also work to increase durability, particularly to withstand more thermal cycles.’ Contact: Steven Shaffer, SECA Project Manager, Delphi Automotive Systems, Troy, Michigan, USA. Tel: +1 585 359 6615, Email: [email protected], www.delphi.com/manufacturers/auto/fuelcells For more information on SECA, go to: www.seca.doe.gov
Ballard delivers cogen prototypes for Japanese market
C
anadian firm Ballard Power Systems has delivered the first prototypes of its next-generation fuel cell for the residential cogeneration market to Ebara Ballard Corporation, its joint-venture company based in Japan. The prototypes of the Mark 1030 V3 will be integrated and tested in 1 kW residential cogeneration systems. Featuring increased reliability and lifetime, with significantly less weight and volume, the fuel cell has been designed to meet the Japanese government’s 2008 targets of 40 000 h of operation – equivalent to a system lifetime of 10 years in the home. The Mark 1030 V3 fuel cell is compatible with both natural gas and kerosene fuel cell cogeneration systems. This standardization allows optimal manufacturing and market flexibility. It is also 40% lighter in weight than the previous generation, and 26% smaller. As a new form of distributed power generation in Japan, the 1 kW fuel cell cogeneration system is installed directly in a consumer’s home and is designed to generate the first kilowatt of electricity and all required hot water. This reduces consumers’ dependence on grid-based electricity. Product cost-reduction is a core focus at Ballard and Ebara for both the next-generation fuel cell and the complete residential cogeneration system. Under the residential fuel cell cogeneration program sponsored by the Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry (METI), the Japanese government has established a target cost of US$10 900
per system by 2008, based on planned unit-volume forecasts. In addition to the work that both Ballard and Ebara are doing to reduce costs, crossindustry component standardization programs are in place to support commercialization timelines. The companies reached an agreement in 2005, under which the Mark 1030 V3 fuel cell system would be assembled by Ebara in Japan by 2008. Building fuel cells at the point of commercial use offers benefits in terms of customer responsiveness and cost savings. Joint activities between the companies to develop the necessary manufacturing infrastructure are already well under way, supported by teams in Vancouver and Tokyo. Under the sponsorship of METI’s Large Scale Monitoring Program in 2005, 102 Ebara residential fuel cell cogeneration systems were installed, out of a program total of 480 units. According to the companies, the units led the field in overall efficiency at 74.9% (HHV), primary energy savings of 21.8%, and a 35.7% reduction in CO2 emissions, as reported by Japan’s New Energy Foundation last October. Contact: Ballard Power Systems Inc, Burnaby, BC, Canada. Tel: +1 604 454 0900, www.ballard.com Or contact: Ebara Ballard Corporation, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan. Tel: +81 3 5461 6558, Fax: +81 3 5461 6087.
MTI Micro hits energy density milestone
N
Y-based MTI MicroFuel Cells has achieved an energy density of more than 1.3 Wh per cm3 of fuel on a 30 W Mobion® lab test unit. This represents more than a 30% increase in fuel efficiency, and is an important technical milestone as MTI Micro moves forward in developing Mobion direct methanol fuel cell products for applications in the military market. For the military markets, MTI Micro is focusing its proprietary Mobion technology along two separate platforms: a 30 W ‘high power’ platform and a 1 W ‘low power’ platform, both targeting key portable applications used in day-to-day military operations. The Mobion®-30 is designed to produce up to 30 W of continuous power in a portable, lightweight, power pack that allows deployed soldiers to use multiple portable electronic devices such as communication radios, satellite equipment, laptops and GPS devices for much longer periods of time. The system eliminates the need to carry multiple battery types and the constant swapping of batteries during a mission. For low-power military use, the Mobion®-1 is designed to produce 1 W of continuous power,
August 2006