- Email: [email protected]
DuPont, SFC portable fuel cell in Army trials
NEWS large stationary
ver the next 12 months Danish company Dantherm Power will supply hydrogen and PEM fuel cell power units to Powertech Labs, a subsidiary of Canadian utility BC Hydro, for use in a pilot project that aims to supplement hydroelectric power. Dantherm already provides uninterruptible power supplies based on fuel cell technology to IT and telecom network suppliers. These same power supplies will be used to increase the utilization of the hydroelectric plant in Bella Coola, a small, remote community on the central coast of British Columbia. ‘The major Canadian utility company BC Hydro is currently running a pilot project at Bella Coola, where surplus electricity is used to generate hydrogen,’ explains Per Albæk, managing director of Dantherm Power. ‘Our power supplies use this stored hydrogen to generate electricity during periods when the hydroelectric plant is unable to meet demand.’ Dantherm says it will deliver a complete 100 kW system packaged in a standard 6 m (20 ft) shipping container. This system uses a fuel cell stack from BC-based Ballard Power Systems to provide secure, reliable power to the community, by enabling greater use of the local hydroelectric plant and reducing the use of local diesel generators. Ballard is supplying 60 units of its Mark1020 ACS™ fuel cell product, each sized to deliver 2 kW of gross electric power, together with technical support services.
Freedom Tower, scheduled for completion during 2012. The deal, worth $10.6 million, will produce the single greatest concentration of power – at 4.8 MW – generated by UTC fuel cells at one site, and will be one of the world’s biggest fuel cell installations. The by-product thermal energy generated by the fuel cells will be harnessed to provide facility cooling and heating for the towers. Delivery of the PureCell® Model 400 fuel cell systems – a scaled-up version of the phosphoric acid fuel cell formerly known as the PC25™ – will begin next January. ‘We are committed to helping make clean energy initiatives at the new World Trade Center site a reality,’ says Roger Kelley, president/CEO of NYPA. ‘Fuel cells are one of the environmentally beneficial technologies that the Power Authority is investing in under Governor Paterson’s leadership to combat greenhouse gas emissions and diversify the state’s energy mix.’ UTC Power’s president, Jan van Dokkum, adds that NYPA has been a long-time customer and champion of using fuel cells to generate clean onsite power. UTC Power has 16 fuel cells deployed in the Greater New York area with NYPA and other customers. The firm’s largest existing installation, featuring seven 200 kW fuel cells capable of generating 1.4 MW, is at a Verizon facility on Long Island [FCB, November 2005]. Incorporating fuel cells into the World Trade Center will contribute towards the attainment of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification points through optimal energy use. In 2006, it was announced that the complex would be designed to achieve the US Green Building Council’s LEED Gold certification requirements, and that all of the facilities involved would be built to a design standard 20% more energy-efficient than the New York Energy Conservation Construction Code.
Contact: Dantherm Power A/S, Skive, Denmark. Tel: +45 9614 3700, www.dantherm-power.com
Contact: UTC Power, South Windsor, Connecticut, USA. Tel: +1 860 727 2200, www.utcpower.com
Dantherm, Ballard support hydroelectric in BC project
O
Or contact: Ballard Power Systems Inc, Burnaby, BC, Canada. Tel: +1 604 454 0900, www.ballard.com Or contact: Powertech Labs Inc, Surrey, BC, Canada. Tel: +1 604 590 7500, www.powertechlabs.com
UTC Power fuel cells for WTC site
T
he New York Power Authority has selected UTC Power to supply fuel cells for the four main towers planned for the World Trade Center site in lower Manhattan. UTC Power will provide 12 fuel cells for the four main towers, including the 540 m (1776 ft) tall 4
Fuel Cells Bulletin
portable & micro
DuPont, SFC portable fuel cell in Army trials
A
portable fuel cell that is under development for the US Army, which combines technology from USbased DuPont and SFC Smart Fuel Cell in Germany, has been deployed for its first limited use in the field. The M-25 portable fuel cell combines DuPont’s direct methanol technology with SFC’s commercially proven fuel cell systems, products and integration expertise.
When worn by soldiers in the field for extended missions, the M-25 is up to 80% lighter than conventional power sources, yet is capable of powering a wide range of equipment used by soldiers, such as digital communication and navigation systems. In addition to its light weight, the M-25 delivers quiet and continuous energy, and offers independent stand-alone functions such as remote-area battery-charging and power. ‘M-25 has the capability to revolutionize wearable portable power sources in the field, by extending soldier mission times to 72 h and beyond,’ comments Col. Richard Hansen, Soldier Warrior Project Manager for the US Army. ‘We want our soldiers in the field to have the best equipment with the least weight to carry, and their gear must be powered reliably on missions. The M-25 is progressing well towards helping us realize this goal.’ The field use of the M-25 fuel cell is part of the Defense Acquisition Challenge Program (DACP), which was established to provide opportunities for the increased introduction of innovative and cost-saving technologies, products or processes into existing Department of Defense acquisition programs. DuPont and SFC were selected for this program in late 2005 [FCB, January 2006], and since then the companies’ fuel cells have successfully passed several important milestones [FCB, February 2007]. DuPont maintains a minority investment in SFC. Contact: DuPont Fuel Cells, Wilmington, Delaware, USA. Tel: 1 800 207 0756 (tollfree in US), www.fuelcells.dupont.com Or contact: SFC Smart Fuel Cell AG, Brunnthal-Nord, Germany. Tel: +49 89 673 5920, www.sfc.com
SymPowerco provides DMFC design, performance details
N
evada-based SymPowerco has announced benchmark performance and operational details of its proprietary Flowing Electrolyte Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (FE DMFC). The company says that its operational 5 W FE DMFC – under test in the labs of development partner Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada – proves the viability of the flowing electrolyte principle, by demonstrating a 30% improvement in stack output against previous designs. The design effectively eliminates inefficiencies caused by methanol crossover. The 5 W stack also demonstrates a viable method of removing methanol from the recirculated electrolyte, indicating the potential for additional operational and performance benefits in future commercial designs.
August 2008
ver the next 12 months Danish company Dantherm Power will supply hydrogen and PEM fuel cell power units to Powertech Labs, a subsidiary of Canadian utility BC Hydro, for use in a pilot project that aims to supplement hydroelectric power. Dantherm already provides uninterruptible power supplies based on fuel cell technology to IT and telecom network suppliers. These same power supplies will be used to increase the utilization of the hydroelectric plant in Bella Coola, a small, remote community on the central coast of British Columbia. ‘The major Canadian utility company BC Hydro is currently running a pilot project at Bella Coola, where surplus electricity is used to generate hydrogen,’ explains Per Albæk, managing director of Dantherm Power. ‘Our power supplies use this stored hydrogen to generate electricity during periods when the hydroelectric plant is unable to meet demand.’ Dantherm says it will deliver a complete 100 kW system packaged in a standard 6 m (20 ft) shipping container. This system uses a fuel cell stack from BC-based Ballard Power Systems to provide secure, reliable power to the community, by enabling greater use of the local hydroelectric plant and reducing the use of local diesel generators. Ballard is supplying 60 units of its Mark1020 ACS™ fuel cell product, each sized to deliver 2 kW of gross electric power, together with technical support services.
Freedom Tower, scheduled for completion during 2012. The deal, worth $10.6 million, will produce the single greatest concentration of power – at 4.8 MW – generated by UTC fuel cells at one site, and will be one of the world’s biggest fuel cell installations. The by-product thermal energy generated by the fuel cells will be harnessed to provide facility cooling and heating for the towers. Delivery of the PureCell® Model 400 fuel cell systems – a scaled-up version of the phosphoric acid fuel cell formerly known as the PC25™ – will begin next January. ‘We are committed to helping make clean energy initiatives at the new World Trade Center site a reality,’ says Roger Kelley, president/CEO of NYPA. ‘Fuel cells are one of the environmentally beneficial technologies that the Power Authority is investing in under Governor Paterson’s leadership to combat greenhouse gas emissions and diversify the state’s energy mix.’ UTC Power’s president, Jan van Dokkum, adds that NYPA has been a long-time customer and champion of using fuel cells to generate clean onsite power. UTC Power has 16 fuel cells deployed in the Greater New York area with NYPA and other customers. The firm’s largest existing installation, featuring seven 200 kW fuel cells capable of generating 1.4 MW, is at a Verizon facility on Long Island [FCB, November 2005]. Incorporating fuel cells into the World Trade Center will contribute towards the attainment of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification points through optimal energy use. In 2006, it was announced that the complex would be designed to achieve the US Green Building Council’s LEED Gold certification requirements, and that all of the facilities involved would be built to a design standard 20% more energy-efficient than the New York Energy Conservation Construction Code.
Contact: Dantherm Power A/S, Skive, Denmark. Tel: +45 9614 3700, www.dantherm-power.com
Contact: UTC Power, South Windsor, Connecticut, USA. Tel: +1 860 727 2200, www.utcpower.com
Dantherm, Ballard support hydroelectric in BC project
O
Or contact: Ballard Power Systems Inc, Burnaby, BC, Canada. Tel: +1 604 454 0900, www.ballard.com Or contact: Powertech Labs Inc, Surrey, BC, Canada. Tel: +1 604 590 7500, www.powertechlabs.com
UTC Power fuel cells for WTC site
T
he New York Power Authority has selected UTC Power to supply fuel cells for the four main towers planned for the World Trade Center site in lower Manhattan. UTC Power will provide 12 fuel cells for the four main towers, including the 540 m (1776 ft) tall 4
Fuel Cells Bulletin
portable & micro
DuPont, SFC portable fuel cell in Army trials
A
portable fuel cell that is under development for the US Army, which combines technology from USbased DuPont and SFC Smart Fuel Cell in Germany, has been deployed for its first limited use in the field. The M-25 portable fuel cell combines DuPont’s direct methanol technology with SFC’s commercially proven fuel cell systems, products and integration expertise.
When worn by soldiers in the field for extended missions, the M-25 is up to 80% lighter than conventional power sources, yet is capable of powering a wide range of equipment used by soldiers, such as digital communication and navigation systems. In addition to its light weight, the M-25 delivers quiet and continuous energy, and offers independent stand-alone functions such as remote-area battery-charging and power. ‘M-25 has the capability to revolutionize wearable portable power sources in the field, by extending soldier mission times to 72 h and beyond,’ comments Col. Richard Hansen, Soldier Warrior Project Manager for the US Army. ‘We want our soldiers in the field to have the best equipment with the least weight to carry, and their gear must be powered reliably on missions. The M-25 is progressing well towards helping us realize this goal.’ The field use of the M-25 fuel cell is part of the Defense Acquisition Challenge Program (DACP), which was established to provide opportunities for the increased introduction of innovative and cost-saving technologies, products or processes into existing Department of Defense acquisition programs. DuPont and SFC were selected for this program in late 2005 [FCB, January 2006], and since then the companies’ fuel cells have successfully passed several important milestones [FCB, February 2007]. DuPont maintains a minority investment in SFC. Contact: DuPont Fuel Cells, Wilmington, Delaware, USA. Tel: 1 800 207 0756 (tollfree in US), www.fuelcells.dupont.com Or contact: SFC Smart Fuel Cell AG, Brunnthal-Nord, Germany. Tel: +49 89 673 5920, www.sfc.com
SymPowerco provides DMFC design, performance details
N
evada-based SymPowerco has announced benchmark performance and operational details of its proprietary Flowing Electrolyte Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (FE DMFC). The company says that its operational 5 W FE DMFC – under test in the labs of development partner Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada – proves the viability of the flowing electrolyte principle, by demonstrating a 30% improvement in stack output against previous designs. The design effectively eliminates inefficiencies caused by methanol crossover. The 5 W stack also demonstrates a viable method of removing methanol from the recirculated electrolyte, indicating the potential for additional operational and performance benefits in future commercial designs.
August 2008