- Email: [email protected]
silk fibroin hydrogel composites as actuator material
NEWS produces several CFY interconnect designs for customers worldwide with pilot and industrial production lines. Convion Ltd, Espoo, Finland. Tel: +358 10 328 7370, www.convion.fi Fraunhofer IKTS, Energy Systems – Materials and Components: http://tinyurl.com/ikts-energy-systems-materials Plansee, SOFC interconnects: http://tinyurl.com/plansee-sofc-interconnects
large stationary
AFC deals to deploy 300 MW in Dubai, 10 MW in Thailand
U
K-based AFC Energy has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence, to assess the potential deployment of 300 MW of alkaline fuel cell generation capacity in Dubai by 2020, in what would be the world’s largest single fuel cell deployment. AFC has also executed its first Heads of Agreement in Thailand, to initiate a programme of commercial fuel cell deployment with Bangkok Industrial Gas (BIG). The landmark deal with Dubai Carbon will see the partners working in collaboration with some of Dubai’s leading companies. Dubai Carbon and AFC will initially assess the potential for fuel cell deployment within projects such as Dubai Expo 2020, The World by Nakheel, and major infrastructure projects including Al Maktoum International Airport. Dubai Carbon and AFC will now commence initial pre-feasibility studies across these and other near-term opportunities. Once development projects are identified, Dubai Carbon and AFC will form a joint venture for delivery. The JV would look to operate the projects, and dispatch power and water. The deployment offers a significant economic opportunity to monetise not only energy generated by the fuel cell power plants, but uniquely also from the sale of water by-product from the catalytic process. The JV will work closely with Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, Emirates National Oil Company, and Dubai Aluminium Company – which together own Dubai Carbon – in assessing these opportunities, and with local funding sources to support the equity and debt financing arrangements for the commercial projects. Dubai Carbon and AFC will engage 6
Fuel Cells Bulletin
with Dubai-based clean energy funds to finance projects as they are taken forward. The deal with BIG in Thailand will look to assess and deploy an initial 10 MW of fuel cell capacity, utilising surplus hydrogen from BIG-owned hydrogen pipelines and related facilities in energy-hungry Rayong Province. The next step is initial techno-economic feasibility studies, before committing any capital expenditure. BIG and AFC have agreed a three-phase deployment programme, with 2 MW scheduled to be operational by the end of 2016, a total of 5 MW by the end of 2017, and reaching 10 MW by the end of 2018. BIG and AFC will then assess a number of other fuel cell deployment opportunities across Thailand. ‘The country has long been identified as an important location for AFC, both in terms of the market for fuel cells [FCB, March 2014, p7], but also as a possible location for long-term manufacturing and fabrication,’ says Adam Bond, CEO of AFC. ‘Our collaboration with BIG is a further important statement of intent to focus our business on short-term industrial fuel cell deployment, particularly in Asia.’ AFC Energy recently signed a deal to deploy an initial 50 MW of alkaline fuel cell generation capacity in Korea [FCB, March 2015, p1]. And in Europe, the AFC-led Power-Up project is preparing to demonstrate the company’s alkaline fuel cell system at Air Products’ industrial gas plant in Stade, Germany [FCB, March 2015, p5, and see the AFC Energy feature in FCB, November 2011]. AFC Energy, Cranleigh, Surrey, UK. Tel: +44 1483 276726, www.afcenergy.com Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence: www.dcce.ae Bangkok Industrial Gas: www.bigth.com
Comcast, CenturyLink mark Earth Day with Bloom Energy power
I
n the US, broadcasting giant Comcast has started up Bloom Energy solid oxide fuel cell systems to power the company’s Western New England regional headquarters in Berlin, Connecticut. And telecoms company CenturyLink has installed Bloom Energy fuel cells in the sustainable power infrastructure for its Irvine, California data centre. The new installations were announced to mark Earth Day (22 April), when events take place around the world to demonstrate support for environmental protection.
The Comcast facility serves as its regional headquarters for five New England states, and is the master facility for receiving and processing TV signals for distribution on the Comcast network. The 400 kW SOFC system will provide up to 80% of the facility’s total energy load. The Bloom Energy Servers® are installed with uninterruptible power modules (UPMs), and will enable the Comcast facility’s headend to maintain operations during grid outages. The project will also help Comcast to reduce the facility’s annual CO2 emissions by an estimated 875 tonnes. Meanwhile in California, CenturyLink has installed 500 kW of Bloom Energy SOFC power plants at its data centre in Irvine; this is Bloom’s first data centre deployment in southern California. ‘This CenturyLink project demonstrates that data centres and cloud service providers now have alternative solutions that will meet both their reliability and sustainability goals,’ says Peter Gross, VP of missioncritical systems at Bloom Energy. ‘Synchronising the fully commissioned Bloom Energy fuel cells to our electrical infrastructure supports the escalating power demands for network and IT infrastructure in an environmentally sustainable way,’ adds David Meredith, senior VP at CenturyLink. ‘Businesses that use multi-tenant data centres and cloud-based solutions, like those offered by CenturyLink, are contributing to a better environment, which is further enhanced by technologies such as Bloom Energy.’ Bloom Energy Servers produce more than 150 MW for major companies and organisations in the US and Japan [FCB, April 2015, p7], including a 6 MW deployment at an eBay data centre in Utah [FCB, October 2013, p3], and installations in Japan through its joint venture with SoftBank [FCB, July 2014, p6]. The company provides gridindependent power for critical loads in data centres and manufacturing through its Mission Critical Systems practice. Bloom Energy Corporation, Sunnyvale, California, USA. Tel: +1 408 543 1500, www.bloomenergy.com Comcast Cable: www.comcastcorporation.com CenturyLink: www.centurylink.com
Pepperidge Farm adds second MW-class FCE unit to flagship bakery
I
n Connecticut, Danbury-based FuelCell Energy is installing a 1.4 MW Direct FuelCell® power plant at the
May 2015
NEWS Pepperidge Farm bakery in Bloomfield. The new system joins an existing MW-class DFC® system, installed in 2008; the two molten carbonate fuel cell systems, in combination with a solar array, will provide all of the facility’s power needs. FuelCell Energy will manufacture, install and service the power plant, work on which has already commenced. Pepperidge Farm – a brand of Campbell Soup Company – will pay for power under a power purchase agreement (PPA). This new unit will supplement the existing 1.2 MW DFC power plant, installed in 2008 [FCB, October 2007, p5]. The agreement also includes the multi-year extension of the service contract for the existing DFC system. FuelCell Energy is developing this project, and expects to finalise permanent financing by the time the power plant enters commercial operation, with commissioning expected by year-end. Pepperidge Farm’s Bloomfield bakery installed its first FuelCell Energy power plant in 2005, a 250 kW DFC300A system deployed with FCE’s distribution partner PPL EnergyPlus [FCB, May 2005, p5]. ‘Pepperidge Farm is a great example of a customer that has experienced significant savings in power costs and dramatically reduced pollutant and carbon emissions, while improving energy security and power reliability,’ says Chip Bottone, CEO of FuelCell Energy. ‘Our ultra-clean and affordable power plants add value for food and beverage processors such as Pepperidge Farm, and repeat orders like this validate our solutions and customer service commitment.’ The scalable DFC power plants support the incremental addition of units to meet growing power needs, such as this commercial bakery project. The new 1.4 MW power plant will be installed adjacent to the existing fuel cell system, and together they will meet the entire energy needs of the facility, with an onsite solar array supporting peak power needs. The high-quality, ultraclean heat produced by the fuel cell power generation process is key to an innovative two-stage heat recovery that includes steam generation for use in the baking process, followed by secondary heat recovery in which excess heat is used to preheat air supplied to the thermal oxidiser used for odour destruction. The heat will be an integral part of an ammonia-based chilling system that will also be installed. FuelCell Energy, Danbury, Connecticut, USA. Tel: +1 203 825 6000, www.fuelcellenergy.com Pepperidge Farm: www.pepperidgefarm.com
May 2015
portable & micro
SFC launches EFOY ProTrailer series for mobile hybrid power
G
erman-based SFC Energy has unveiled a new trailer-based hybrid power solution for security & surveillance, communication, oil & gas, and traffic management applications. SFC introduced the EFOY ProTrailer series at last month’s ISC West security industry trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada. The EFOY ProTrailer integrates SFC’s popular EFOY Pro direct methanol fuel cells with up to four solar modules for optimum power flexibility. The cost-effective fuel cell/ solar combination provides two complementary power sources: when the sun is shining, the required power is produced exclusively by the solar modules, with zero fuel consumption. Only when the solar modules cannot deliver enough power – e.g. when in shadow, in bad weather, or at night – the fuel cells will automatically start operation and fill the power gap. The EFOY ProTrailer provides extremely long power autonomy without any user attendance. It comes fully equipped with an EFOY Pro 2400 Duo fuel cell, two or four fuel cartridges, up to four solar panels generating up to 1000 Wp total power, two or four batteries, and a 60 A solar charger, enabling maximum power flexibility as required in the individual application. The new trailer was developed by SFC subsidiary Simark Controls [FCB, August 2013, p8], with initial sales beginning last November into security applications for the Canadian oil & gas industry. Further EFOY ProTrailers are on order from various customers for delivery now. EFOY ProTrailer versions are available configured to match the specifications and power requirements of individual installations. For example, for security applications the EFOY ProTrailer can be equipped with cameras with a total continuous load of 70 W, the EFOY Pro 2400 Duo, four 28 litre M28 fuel cartridges, and 560 Wp of solar. The annual fuel requirement for this trailer version is about 140 litres (five fuel cartridges), so that this trailer will operate for almost a full year without requiring any user attendance. SFC Energy is a leading provider of hybrid stationary and portable power solutions [see the SFC feature in FCB, January 2013], serving in particular the oil & gas [FCB, July 2014, p4], security and industry [FCB, March 2015, p1], military [FCB, April 2014, p7], and consumer
markets [FCB, May 2013, p3]. The company recently won a large order to equip Volkswagen vans with EFOY Pro fuel cells [see page 3], and its Canadian subsidiary Simark Controls has announced new sales agreements for the US and Canada [see page 10]. SFC Energy, Brunnthal/Munich, Germany. Tel: +49 89 673 5920, www.sfc.com or www.efoy-pro.com Simark Controls, Calgary, Canada: www.simarkcontrols.com
fueling
Quantum, Linde for hydrogen dispensers in California network
C
alifornia-based Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide has received multiple orders from Linde North America, to develop and manufacture additional retail hydrogen fueling dispensers for the further development of hydrogen fueling infrastructure in California. Two years ago Quantum Technologies received an initial purchase order from Linde LLC for gaseous hydrogen refueling systems, the first under a three-year partnership [FCB, February 2013, p9]. The newly ordered hydrogen dispensers will be delivered to and commissioned by Linde North America – a member of The Linde Group – around the fourth quarter of 2015. These hydrogen dispensers will incorporate new enhancements to the software and hardware, for a more user-friendly experience while continuing to enhance accuracy and performance. These dispensers will meet the revised SAE specifications [FCB, August 2014, p7] and OEM expectations for fast-fill performance and accuracy for measuring the flow of hydrogen to the vehicle. ‘The [California] hydrogen infrastructure is being built in key areas, with multiple phases expected to follow,’ says Brian Olson, president and CEO of Quantum Technologies. ‘There is a growing network of hydrogen stations supporting the new fuel cell electric vehicles coming to California from multiple OEMs [FCB, June 2014, p6].’ Quantum Technologies’ portfolio includes natural gas and hydrogen storage and metering systems, electronic and software controls, hybrid electric drive systems, and other alternative fuel technologies and solutions for natural gas and hybrid, plug-in hybrid electric
Fuel Cells Bulletin
7
large stationary
AFC deals to deploy 300 MW in Dubai, 10 MW in Thailand
U
K-based AFC Energy has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence, to assess the potential deployment of 300 MW of alkaline fuel cell generation capacity in Dubai by 2020, in what would be the world’s largest single fuel cell deployment. AFC has also executed its first Heads of Agreement in Thailand, to initiate a programme of commercial fuel cell deployment with Bangkok Industrial Gas (BIG). The landmark deal with Dubai Carbon will see the partners working in collaboration with some of Dubai’s leading companies. Dubai Carbon and AFC will initially assess the potential for fuel cell deployment within projects such as Dubai Expo 2020, The World by Nakheel, and major infrastructure projects including Al Maktoum International Airport. Dubai Carbon and AFC will now commence initial pre-feasibility studies across these and other near-term opportunities. Once development projects are identified, Dubai Carbon and AFC will form a joint venture for delivery. The JV would look to operate the projects, and dispatch power and water. The deployment offers a significant economic opportunity to monetise not only energy generated by the fuel cell power plants, but uniquely also from the sale of water by-product from the catalytic process. The JV will work closely with Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, Emirates National Oil Company, and Dubai Aluminium Company – which together own Dubai Carbon – in assessing these opportunities, and with local funding sources to support the equity and debt financing arrangements for the commercial projects. Dubai Carbon and AFC will engage 6
Fuel Cells Bulletin
with Dubai-based clean energy funds to finance projects as they are taken forward. The deal with BIG in Thailand will look to assess and deploy an initial 10 MW of fuel cell capacity, utilising surplus hydrogen from BIG-owned hydrogen pipelines and related facilities in energy-hungry Rayong Province. The next step is initial techno-economic feasibility studies, before committing any capital expenditure. BIG and AFC have agreed a three-phase deployment programme, with 2 MW scheduled to be operational by the end of 2016, a total of 5 MW by the end of 2017, and reaching 10 MW by the end of 2018. BIG and AFC will then assess a number of other fuel cell deployment opportunities across Thailand. ‘The country has long been identified as an important location for AFC, both in terms of the market for fuel cells [FCB, March 2014, p7], but also as a possible location for long-term manufacturing and fabrication,’ says Adam Bond, CEO of AFC. ‘Our collaboration with BIG is a further important statement of intent to focus our business on short-term industrial fuel cell deployment, particularly in Asia.’ AFC Energy recently signed a deal to deploy an initial 50 MW of alkaline fuel cell generation capacity in Korea [FCB, March 2015, p1]. And in Europe, the AFC-led Power-Up project is preparing to demonstrate the company’s alkaline fuel cell system at Air Products’ industrial gas plant in Stade, Germany [FCB, March 2015, p5, and see the AFC Energy feature in FCB, November 2011]. AFC Energy, Cranleigh, Surrey, UK. Tel: +44 1483 276726, www.afcenergy.com Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence: www.dcce.ae Bangkok Industrial Gas: www.bigth.com
Comcast, CenturyLink mark Earth Day with Bloom Energy power
I
n the US, broadcasting giant Comcast has started up Bloom Energy solid oxide fuel cell systems to power the company’s Western New England regional headquarters in Berlin, Connecticut. And telecoms company CenturyLink has installed Bloom Energy fuel cells in the sustainable power infrastructure for its Irvine, California data centre. The new installations were announced to mark Earth Day (22 April), when events take place around the world to demonstrate support for environmental protection.
The Comcast facility serves as its regional headquarters for five New England states, and is the master facility for receiving and processing TV signals for distribution on the Comcast network. The 400 kW SOFC system will provide up to 80% of the facility’s total energy load. The Bloom Energy Servers® are installed with uninterruptible power modules (UPMs), and will enable the Comcast facility’s headend to maintain operations during grid outages. The project will also help Comcast to reduce the facility’s annual CO2 emissions by an estimated 875 tonnes. Meanwhile in California, CenturyLink has installed 500 kW of Bloom Energy SOFC power plants at its data centre in Irvine; this is Bloom’s first data centre deployment in southern California. ‘This CenturyLink project demonstrates that data centres and cloud service providers now have alternative solutions that will meet both their reliability and sustainability goals,’ says Peter Gross, VP of missioncritical systems at Bloom Energy. ‘Synchronising the fully commissioned Bloom Energy fuel cells to our electrical infrastructure supports the escalating power demands for network and IT infrastructure in an environmentally sustainable way,’ adds David Meredith, senior VP at CenturyLink. ‘Businesses that use multi-tenant data centres and cloud-based solutions, like those offered by CenturyLink, are contributing to a better environment, which is further enhanced by technologies such as Bloom Energy.’ Bloom Energy Servers produce more than 150 MW for major companies and organisations in the US and Japan [FCB, April 2015, p7], including a 6 MW deployment at an eBay data centre in Utah [FCB, October 2013, p3], and installations in Japan through its joint venture with SoftBank [FCB, July 2014, p6]. The company provides gridindependent power for critical loads in data centres and manufacturing through its Mission Critical Systems practice. Bloom Energy Corporation, Sunnyvale, California, USA. Tel: +1 408 543 1500, www.bloomenergy.com Comcast Cable: www.comcastcorporation.com CenturyLink: www.centurylink.com
Pepperidge Farm adds second MW-class FCE unit to flagship bakery
I
n Connecticut, Danbury-based FuelCell Energy is installing a 1.4 MW Direct FuelCell® power plant at the
May 2015
NEWS Pepperidge Farm bakery in Bloomfield. The new system joins an existing MW-class DFC® system, installed in 2008; the two molten carbonate fuel cell systems, in combination with a solar array, will provide all of the facility’s power needs. FuelCell Energy will manufacture, install and service the power plant, work on which has already commenced. Pepperidge Farm – a brand of Campbell Soup Company – will pay for power under a power purchase agreement (PPA). This new unit will supplement the existing 1.2 MW DFC power plant, installed in 2008 [FCB, October 2007, p5]. The agreement also includes the multi-year extension of the service contract for the existing DFC system. FuelCell Energy is developing this project, and expects to finalise permanent financing by the time the power plant enters commercial operation, with commissioning expected by year-end. Pepperidge Farm’s Bloomfield bakery installed its first FuelCell Energy power plant in 2005, a 250 kW DFC300A system deployed with FCE’s distribution partner PPL EnergyPlus [FCB, May 2005, p5]. ‘Pepperidge Farm is a great example of a customer that has experienced significant savings in power costs and dramatically reduced pollutant and carbon emissions, while improving energy security and power reliability,’ says Chip Bottone, CEO of FuelCell Energy. ‘Our ultra-clean and affordable power plants add value for food and beverage processors such as Pepperidge Farm, and repeat orders like this validate our solutions and customer service commitment.’ The scalable DFC power plants support the incremental addition of units to meet growing power needs, such as this commercial bakery project. The new 1.4 MW power plant will be installed adjacent to the existing fuel cell system, and together they will meet the entire energy needs of the facility, with an onsite solar array supporting peak power needs. The high-quality, ultraclean heat produced by the fuel cell power generation process is key to an innovative two-stage heat recovery that includes steam generation for use in the baking process, followed by secondary heat recovery in which excess heat is used to preheat air supplied to the thermal oxidiser used for odour destruction. The heat will be an integral part of an ammonia-based chilling system that will also be installed. FuelCell Energy, Danbury, Connecticut, USA. Tel: +1 203 825 6000, www.fuelcellenergy.com Pepperidge Farm: www.pepperidgefarm.com
May 2015
portable & micro
SFC launches EFOY ProTrailer series for mobile hybrid power
G
erman-based SFC Energy has unveiled a new trailer-based hybrid power solution for security & surveillance, communication, oil & gas, and traffic management applications. SFC introduced the EFOY ProTrailer series at last month’s ISC West security industry trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada. The EFOY ProTrailer integrates SFC’s popular EFOY Pro direct methanol fuel cells with up to four solar modules for optimum power flexibility. The cost-effective fuel cell/ solar combination provides two complementary power sources: when the sun is shining, the required power is produced exclusively by the solar modules, with zero fuel consumption. Only when the solar modules cannot deliver enough power – e.g. when in shadow, in bad weather, or at night – the fuel cells will automatically start operation and fill the power gap. The EFOY ProTrailer provides extremely long power autonomy without any user attendance. It comes fully equipped with an EFOY Pro 2400 Duo fuel cell, two or four fuel cartridges, up to four solar panels generating up to 1000 Wp total power, two or four batteries, and a 60 A solar charger, enabling maximum power flexibility as required in the individual application. The new trailer was developed by SFC subsidiary Simark Controls [FCB, August 2013, p8], with initial sales beginning last November into security applications for the Canadian oil & gas industry. Further EFOY ProTrailers are on order from various customers for delivery now. EFOY ProTrailer versions are available configured to match the specifications and power requirements of individual installations. For example, for security applications the EFOY ProTrailer can be equipped with cameras with a total continuous load of 70 W, the EFOY Pro 2400 Duo, four 28 litre M28 fuel cartridges, and 560 Wp of solar. The annual fuel requirement for this trailer version is about 140 litres (five fuel cartridges), so that this trailer will operate for almost a full year without requiring any user attendance. SFC Energy is a leading provider of hybrid stationary and portable power solutions [see the SFC feature in FCB, January 2013], serving in particular the oil & gas [FCB, July 2014, p4], security and industry [FCB, March 2015, p1], military [FCB, April 2014, p7], and consumer
markets [FCB, May 2013, p3]. The company recently won a large order to equip Volkswagen vans with EFOY Pro fuel cells [see page 3], and its Canadian subsidiary Simark Controls has announced new sales agreements for the US and Canada [see page 10]. SFC Energy, Brunnthal/Munich, Germany. Tel: +49 89 673 5920, www.sfc.com or www.efoy-pro.com Simark Controls, Calgary, Canada: www.simarkcontrols.com
fueling
Quantum, Linde for hydrogen dispensers in California network
C
alifornia-based Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide has received multiple orders from Linde North America, to develop and manufacture additional retail hydrogen fueling dispensers for the further development of hydrogen fueling infrastructure in California. Two years ago Quantum Technologies received an initial purchase order from Linde LLC for gaseous hydrogen refueling systems, the first under a three-year partnership [FCB, February 2013, p9]. The newly ordered hydrogen dispensers will be delivered to and commissioned by Linde North America – a member of The Linde Group – around the fourth quarter of 2015. These hydrogen dispensers will incorporate new enhancements to the software and hardware, for a more user-friendly experience while continuing to enhance accuracy and performance. These dispensers will meet the revised SAE specifications [FCB, August 2014, p7] and OEM expectations for fast-fill performance and accuracy for measuring the flow of hydrogen to the vehicle. ‘The [California] hydrogen infrastructure is being built in key areas, with multiple phases expected to follow,’ says Brian Olson, president and CEO of Quantum Technologies. ‘There is a growing network of hydrogen stations supporting the new fuel cell electric vehicles coming to California from multiple OEMs [FCB, June 2014, p6].’ Quantum Technologies’ portfolio includes natural gas and hydrogen storage and metering systems, electronic and software controls, hybrid electric drive systems, and other alternative fuel technologies and solutions for natural gas and hybrid, plug-in hybrid electric
Fuel Cells Bulletin
7