- Email: [email protected]
FuelCell Energy to build 3.7 MW plant in new configuration
NEWS towers [FCB, March 2016, p5]. The company also launched its Model 3 onboard battery charger for materials handling, or other mobile applications such as light towers or mobile power for the military [March 2016, p3]. Oorja Fuel Cells, Fremont, California, USA. Tel: +1 510 659 1899, www.oorjafuelcells.com CSA International: www.csagroup.org ANSI/CSA FC 1-2014 standard: http://tinyurl.com/ansi-csa-fc1 Ensol Systems, Surrey, BC, Canada. Tel: +1 604 576 8333, www.ensolsystems.com
SFC installs 500 W EFOY ProCabinet, launches 60 l fuel tank
G
erman-based SFC Energy has installed an EFOY ProCabinet hybrid solution with an integrated 500 W direct methanol fuel cell, to power off-grid pipeline applications for a major Canadian oil & gas company. SFC has also added a new 60 litre tank to its portfolio of EFOY methanol fuel cartridges, specifically developed for off-grid and industrial backup power applications. The fully integrated EFOY ProCabinet hybrid power solution was selected by Christiansen Engineering Group in Calgary, Alberta, which provides various services for the oil & gas industry in Western Canada. The unit will reliably power demanding off-grid applications – specifically, remote densitometers and associated heaters along pipelines – for a major midstream company in the regional oil & gas sector. The EFOY ProCabinet hybrid solution uses SFC’s most powerful fuel cell to date, the EFOY Pro 12000 Duo, combined with solar panels and batteries for a 12/24 Vdc power system [FCB, July 2015, p6]. The system was developed for extreme temperatures, from –40°C to +50°C, with everything housed in a weatherproof enclosure [May 2014, p3]. Remote operation capabilities enable data collection, system configuration, and monitoring. The new solution features substantially longer system autonomy with less frequent refueling, eliminating costly midwinter site visits. During the summer the solar input will maintain the battery bank to cover the load. In winter and bad weather the EFOY Pro fuel cell will automatically switch on and reliably bridge the energy gap. This prevents the battery bank from deep cycling or freezing, ensuring optimal
October 2016
battery health and lifespan. Hybridisation also reduces the size of solar arrays and battery banks by up to 75%. SFC has also added a new 60 litre MT60 tank to its portfolio of EFOY methanol fuel cartridges, featuring the company’s proprietary security valve. The MT60 is compatible with all second-generation EFOY Pro fuel cells. An EFOY Pro Duo fuel cell can be installed with up to four MT60 tanks, representing an energy capacity of 264 kWh. This is enough to operate a 100 W transmitter, sensor, or surveillance system for 110 days without any user attendance [see also page 5]. SFC Energy, Brunnthal/Munich, Germany. Tel: +49 89 673 5920, www.sfc.com or www.efoy-pro.com Christiansen Engineering Group: www.christiansenengineering.com
hydrogen, with over 400 units delivered to more than 50 customers across North America [FCB, June 2015, p5 and December 2015, p10]. These products are the result of 15 years of research and product development, originally as the R&D division of Acumentrics. Earlier this year Atrex Energy was created to separate it from Acumentrics Inc, which manufactures battery-based rugged uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems. Atrex Energy now has a dedicated team focused on providing superior remote power generation systems. Atrex Energy, Walpole, Massachusetts, USA. Tel: +1 781 461 8251, www.atrexenergy.com CSA Group: www.csagroup.org ANSI/CSA FC 1-2014 standard: http://tinyurl.com/ansi-csa-fc1
LARGE STATIONARY
Atrex Energy contract to develop SOFC tech, gains CSA approval
FuelCell Energy to build 3.7 MW plant in new configuration
M
I
assachusetts-based Atrex Energy – formerly Acumentrics SOFC Corporation – has received a substantial new award from the US Department of Energy, to develop a solid oxide fuel cell with more than triple the output of the largest one it currently offers. The company has also received FC-1 certification from the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), for its high-efficiency and fuel-flexible ARP units, which provide power in a range from 500 W to 4.5 kW. The objective of the latest $3.1 million contract from DOE is to design, build, and test a prototype 5 kW power generator based on the Atrex Energy tubular SOFC. It will also incorporate the latest advances for higher power density, lower operating temperature, and the cell’s ability to operate as a battery storage device for better response to transient load changes. Atrex has also received what it says is the first certification from the CSA under the FC-1 Standard for its highly efficient, fuelflexible ARP units. CSA certification is a widely accepted, rigorous standard of safety, reliability, and performance [see also page 6]. Atrex products offer clean power solutions for essential offgrid needs, including instrumentation and automation systems for the oil & gas industry, cathodic protection, and telecoms. Atrex Energy’s commercial SOFC-based, remote power generators run on conventional and renewable fuels, and do not require
n Connecticut, FuelCell Energy is to develop a utility-scale clean power project to affordably solve power generation challenges in landconstrained areas. Construction will begin imminently for a 3.7 MW molten carbonate fuel cell power plant in the company’s home city of Danbury, following recent approval by the Connecticut Siting Council. ‘We are enhancing the electrical efficiency of this fuel cell power plant by configuring the fuel cell modules in a series to utilise the fuel to the greatest degree possible,’ says Tony Rauseo, senior VP and chief operating officer of FuelCell Energy. ‘This is a really innovative design targeting utility and data centre applications.’ The standard 2.8 MW DFC3000® power plant utilises two fuel cell modules operating in parallel. This new 3.7 MW configuration adds a third module that utilises unused fuel from the other two modules as well as heat, along with some natural gas input, to economically produce additional power. The 3.7 MW power plant, adequate to power approximately 3700 homes, will occupy only about 10 000 ft2 (0.23 acres, 0.1 ha) on an industrial site near an existing electrical substation. FuelCell Energy has executed a long-term lease for the land, and expects to sell the power to the local utility, supplying the nearby electrical substation. FCE will explore opportunities to sell the project after commissioning.
Fuel Cells Bulletin
7
NEWS ‘Our business model of locating clean and affordable power near where the power is used acts to spur urban redevelopment, by enhancing local infrastructure and generating property and sales tax revenue for municipal and state governments to a degree that other clean distributed power generation projects have difficulty matching,’ says Michael Bishop, senior VP and CFO. ‘The high availability of fuel cells drives significant renewable energy credit generation, supporting both project economics and state-level renewable power standards.’ FuelCell Energy is doing well in its home state: earlier this year it announced an order for a 5.6 MW system to provide low-carbon electricity and steam for Pfizer’s R&D facility in Groton [FCB, February 2016, p4], and before that a power plant order from United Illuminating for a new microgrid in Woodbridge [December 2015, p4; see also the News Feature on page 13 of this issue, and the News Features in February and May 2016]. FuelCell Energy, Danbury, Connecticut, USA. Tel: +1 203 825 6000, www.fuelcellenergy.com
MHPS begins demo testing of SOFC-MGT hybrid unit in Japan
M
itsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Ltd (MHPS) in Japan has commenced demonstration testing of a pressurised hybrid power generation system that integrates a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stack and a micro gas turbine (MGT). The testing is the latest stage in targeting a commercial launch for business and industrial applications in the near future. The SOFC-MGT hybrid system has been installed at the Senju Techno Station of Tokyo Gas, under a programme supported by the national New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). The number of demonstration sites will be progressively expanded to four, with commercial launch targeted for Fiscal Year 2017. In a pressurised SOFC-MGT hybrid system, power is generated directly by the electrochemical reaction in the SOFC between oxygen in the air and hydrogen and CO extracted from reformed city gas. The hightemperature exhaust from the SOFC is then fed to the MGT, where the heat and pressure, together with residual fuel, are used to generate power. This two-stage approach, with a substantially increased voltage as a result of SOFC pressurisation, significantly boosts the power generation efficiency.
8
Fuel Cells Bulletin
The 250 kW demonstration system delivers a generation efficiency of 55%. It is a followup to the prototype Model 15 system that has been undergoing demonstration testing at Kyushu University in Fukuoka, on the southern island of Kyushu, since spring 2015 [FCB, December 2014, p1]. Three demonstration sites will be added shortly: a factory of Toyota Motor Corporation, which is jointly developing the hybrid system; a plant of NGK Spark Plug Co Ltd (NTK), with which MHPS is forming a tie-up to mass-produce the cell stacks [FCB, August 2014, p10]; and a facility of Taisei Corporation. Demonstration testing at the various venues will focus on the hybrid system’s operating efficiency, operability and durability in diverse environments, and knowhow will be accumulated to help reduce costs and achieve mass production in the run-up to commercial marketing. MHPS was formed in February 2014, integrating the thermal power generation systems businesses of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries [FCB, October 2013, p4] and Hitachi Ltd. Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Ltd: www.mhps.com/en/technology/business/power/sofc
FUELING
CEP opens its latest German hydrogen station in Metzingen
T
he new hydrogen station at the OMV service station in Metzingen, Baden-Württemberg in southwestern Germany is the latest addition to the nationwide hydrogen refueling infrastructure. The inauguration continues the long-standing cooperation between Daimler, Linde, and OMV Deutschland as part of the Clean Energy Partnership (CEP). The new station will improve hydrogen supply in the Stuttgart metropolitan region. This latest facility makes it 22 public hydrogen refueling stations in operation across Germany, with eight of them in Baden-Württemberg [FCB, August 2016, p5]. The deployment is co-funded by the federal ministry of transport and digital infrastructure (BMVI) as part of its National Innovation Programme Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NIP). The initial focus of the infrastructure build-up is on metropolitan areas, with existing stations covering the Berlin, Hamburg, Rhine/Ruhr, Stuttgart and Munich regions, and the process of connecting them has already begun. Within the NIP, Daimler and Linde are contributing with
a total investment of around E20 million ($22 million). The construction of the first public hydrogen station in Baden-Württemberg at Stuttgart Airport in 2009 was also a collaboration between OMV, Daimler, and Linde [FCB, August 2009, p9, and see the Linde feature in September 2014]. Daimler recently unveiled its next-generation fuel cell electric vehicle, the Mercedes-Benz GLC F-CELL, the world’s first plug-in hybrid FCEV [August 2016, p12]. The Clean Energy Partnership – an alliance of 20 leading companies – aims to establish hydrogen as the ‘fuel of the future’ in Germany [see the CEP feature in FCB, June 2011]. The project includes technology, oil, and utility companies as well as most German automakers and two leading public transport companies. The NIP – which has sponsored CEP since 2008 – is focused on research and development as well as demonstration projects, and is coordinated by Berlin-based NOW GmbH (National Organisation Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology). Clean Energy Partnership: www.cleanenergypartnership.de/en NOW GmbH: www.now-gmbh.de/en Daimler, Emission-Free Driving: http://tinyurl.com/daimler-emission-free-driving Linde Hydrogen: http://tinyurl.com/linde-experience-h2 OMV Group: www.omv.com
ITM Power upgrades M1 hydrogen station, has new German head
U
K-based ITM Power has completed the 700 bar upgrade to its M1 Rotherham hydrogen refueling station, an important strategic part of the UK’s hydrogen infrastructure in enabling vehicles from London to access northern England. The company has also appointed Calum McConnell as managing director of its German subsidiary, ITM Power GmbH. In March 2015 ITM announced that it had been awarded funding to upgrade four existing stations, including the M1 Rotherham facility, and build two new stations on strategic partner sites in London. The work is funded by the government’s Office of Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) [FCB, April 2015, p9]. The M1 Rotherham station is located at the Hydrogen Mini Grid at the Advanced Manufacturing Park in Rotherham, just off J33 of the M1, close to the M18 junction [FCB, September 2015, p1, and see the ITM feature in January 2012]. The original 350 bar
October 2016
SFC installs 500 W EFOY ProCabinet, launches 60 l fuel tank
G
erman-based SFC Energy has installed an EFOY ProCabinet hybrid solution with an integrated 500 W direct methanol fuel cell, to power off-grid pipeline applications for a major Canadian oil & gas company. SFC has also added a new 60 litre tank to its portfolio of EFOY methanol fuel cartridges, specifically developed for off-grid and industrial backup power applications. The fully integrated EFOY ProCabinet hybrid power solution was selected by Christiansen Engineering Group in Calgary, Alberta, which provides various services for the oil & gas industry in Western Canada. The unit will reliably power demanding off-grid applications – specifically, remote densitometers and associated heaters along pipelines – for a major midstream company in the regional oil & gas sector. The EFOY ProCabinet hybrid solution uses SFC’s most powerful fuel cell to date, the EFOY Pro 12000 Duo, combined with solar panels and batteries for a 12/24 Vdc power system [FCB, July 2015, p6]. The system was developed for extreme temperatures, from –40°C to +50°C, with everything housed in a weatherproof enclosure [May 2014, p3]. Remote operation capabilities enable data collection, system configuration, and monitoring. The new solution features substantially longer system autonomy with less frequent refueling, eliminating costly midwinter site visits. During the summer the solar input will maintain the battery bank to cover the load. In winter and bad weather the EFOY Pro fuel cell will automatically switch on and reliably bridge the energy gap. This prevents the battery bank from deep cycling or freezing, ensuring optimal
October 2016
battery health and lifespan. Hybridisation also reduces the size of solar arrays and battery banks by up to 75%. SFC has also added a new 60 litre MT60 tank to its portfolio of EFOY methanol fuel cartridges, featuring the company’s proprietary security valve. The MT60 is compatible with all second-generation EFOY Pro fuel cells. An EFOY Pro Duo fuel cell can be installed with up to four MT60 tanks, representing an energy capacity of 264 kWh. This is enough to operate a 100 W transmitter, sensor, or surveillance system for 110 days without any user attendance [see also page 5]. SFC Energy, Brunnthal/Munich, Germany. Tel: +49 89 673 5920, www.sfc.com or www.efoy-pro.com Christiansen Engineering Group: www.christiansenengineering.com
hydrogen, with over 400 units delivered to more than 50 customers across North America [FCB, June 2015, p5 and December 2015, p10]. These products are the result of 15 years of research and product development, originally as the R&D division of Acumentrics. Earlier this year Atrex Energy was created to separate it from Acumentrics Inc, which manufactures battery-based rugged uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems. Atrex Energy now has a dedicated team focused on providing superior remote power generation systems. Atrex Energy, Walpole, Massachusetts, USA. Tel: +1 781 461 8251, www.atrexenergy.com CSA Group: www.csagroup.org ANSI/CSA FC 1-2014 standard: http://tinyurl.com/ansi-csa-fc1
LARGE STATIONARY
Atrex Energy contract to develop SOFC tech, gains CSA approval
FuelCell Energy to build 3.7 MW plant in new configuration
M
I
assachusetts-based Atrex Energy – formerly Acumentrics SOFC Corporation – has received a substantial new award from the US Department of Energy, to develop a solid oxide fuel cell with more than triple the output of the largest one it currently offers. The company has also received FC-1 certification from the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), for its high-efficiency and fuel-flexible ARP units, which provide power in a range from 500 W to 4.5 kW. The objective of the latest $3.1 million contract from DOE is to design, build, and test a prototype 5 kW power generator based on the Atrex Energy tubular SOFC. It will also incorporate the latest advances for higher power density, lower operating temperature, and the cell’s ability to operate as a battery storage device for better response to transient load changes. Atrex has also received what it says is the first certification from the CSA under the FC-1 Standard for its highly efficient, fuelflexible ARP units. CSA certification is a widely accepted, rigorous standard of safety, reliability, and performance [see also page 6]. Atrex products offer clean power solutions for essential offgrid needs, including instrumentation and automation systems for the oil & gas industry, cathodic protection, and telecoms. Atrex Energy’s commercial SOFC-based, remote power generators run on conventional and renewable fuels, and do not require
n Connecticut, FuelCell Energy is to develop a utility-scale clean power project to affordably solve power generation challenges in landconstrained areas. Construction will begin imminently for a 3.7 MW molten carbonate fuel cell power plant in the company’s home city of Danbury, following recent approval by the Connecticut Siting Council. ‘We are enhancing the electrical efficiency of this fuel cell power plant by configuring the fuel cell modules in a series to utilise the fuel to the greatest degree possible,’ says Tony Rauseo, senior VP and chief operating officer of FuelCell Energy. ‘This is a really innovative design targeting utility and data centre applications.’ The standard 2.8 MW DFC3000® power plant utilises two fuel cell modules operating in parallel. This new 3.7 MW configuration adds a third module that utilises unused fuel from the other two modules as well as heat, along with some natural gas input, to economically produce additional power. The 3.7 MW power plant, adequate to power approximately 3700 homes, will occupy only about 10 000 ft2 (0.23 acres, 0.1 ha) on an industrial site near an existing electrical substation. FuelCell Energy has executed a long-term lease for the land, and expects to sell the power to the local utility, supplying the nearby electrical substation. FCE will explore opportunities to sell the project after commissioning.
Fuel Cells Bulletin
7
NEWS ‘Our business model of locating clean and affordable power near where the power is used acts to spur urban redevelopment, by enhancing local infrastructure and generating property and sales tax revenue for municipal and state governments to a degree that other clean distributed power generation projects have difficulty matching,’ says Michael Bishop, senior VP and CFO. ‘The high availability of fuel cells drives significant renewable energy credit generation, supporting both project economics and state-level renewable power standards.’ FuelCell Energy is doing well in its home state: earlier this year it announced an order for a 5.6 MW system to provide low-carbon electricity and steam for Pfizer’s R&D facility in Groton [FCB, February 2016, p4], and before that a power plant order from United Illuminating for a new microgrid in Woodbridge [December 2015, p4; see also the News Feature on page 13 of this issue, and the News Features in February and May 2016]. FuelCell Energy, Danbury, Connecticut, USA. Tel: +1 203 825 6000, www.fuelcellenergy.com
MHPS begins demo testing of SOFC-MGT hybrid unit in Japan
M
itsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Ltd (MHPS) in Japan has commenced demonstration testing of a pressurised hybrid power generation system that integrates a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stack and a micro gas turbine (MGT). The testing is the latest stage in targeting a commercial launch for business and industrial applications in the near future. The SOFC-MGT hybrid system has been installed at the Senju Techno Station of Tokyo Gas, under a programme supported by the national New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). The number of demonstration sites will be progressively expanded to four, with commercial launch targeted for Fiscal Year 2017. In a pressurised SOFC-MGT hybrid system, power is generated directly by the electrochemical reaction in the SOFC between oxygen in the air and hydrogen and CO extracted from reformed city gas. The hightemperature exhaust from the SOFC is then fed to the MGT, where the heat and pressure, together with residual fuel, are used to generate power. This two-stage approach, with a substantially increased voltage as a result of SOFC pressurisation, significantly boosts the power generation efficiency.
8
Fuel Cells Bulletin
The 250 kW demonstration system delivers a generation efficiency of 55%. It is a followup to the prototype Model 15 system that has been undergoing demonstration testing at Kyushu University in Fukuoka, on the southern island of Kyushu, since spring 2015 [FCB, December 2014, p1]. Three demonstration sites will be added shortly: a factory of Toyota Motor Corporation, which is jointly developing the hybrid system; a plant of NGK Spark Plug Co Ltd (NTK), with which MHPS is forming a tie-up to mass-produce the cell stacks [FCB, August 2014, p10]; and a facility of Taisei Corporation. Demonstration testing at the various venues will focus on the hybrid system’s operating efficiency, operability and durability in diverse environments, and knowhow will be accumulated to help reduce costs and achieve mass production in the run-up to commercial marketing. MHPS was formed in February 2014, integrating the thermal power generation systems businesses of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries [FCB, October 2013, p4] and Hitachi Ltd. Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Ltd: www.mhps.com/en/technology/business/power/sofc
FUELING
CEP opens its latest German hydrogen station in Metzingen
T
he new hydrogen station at the OMV service station in Metzingen, Baden-Württemberg in southwestern Germany is the latest addition to the nationwide hydrogen refueling infrastructure. The inauguration continues the long-standing cooperation between Daimler, Linde, and OMV Deutschland as part of the Clean Energy Partnership (CEP). The new station will improve hydrogen supply in the Stuttgart metropolitan region. This latest facility makes it 22 public hydrogen refueling stations in operation across Germany, with eight of them in Baden-Württemberg [FCB, August 2016, p5]. The deployment is co-funded by the federal ministry of transport and digital infrastructure (BMVI) as part of its National Innovation Programme Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NIP). The initial focus of the infrastructure build-up is on metropolitan areas, with existing stations covering the Berlin, Hamburg, Rhine/Ruhr, Stuttgart and Munich regions, and the process of connecting them has already begun. Within the NIP, Daimler and Linde are contributing with
a total investment of around E20 million ($22 million). The construction of the first public hydrogen station in Baden-Württemberg at Stuttgart Airport in 2009 was also a collaboration between OMV, Daimler, and Linde [FCB, August 2009, p9, and see the Linde feature in September 2014]. Daimler recently unveiled its next-generation fuel cell electric vehicle, the Mercedes-Benz GLC F-CELL, the world’s first plug-in hybrid FCEV [August 2016, p12]. The Clean Energy Partnership – an alliance of 20 leading companies – aims to establish hydrogen as the ‘fuel of the future’ in Germany [see the CEP feature in FCB, June 2011]. The project includes technology, oil, and utility companies as well as most German automakers and two leading public transport companies. The NIP – which has sponsored CEP since 2008 – is focused on research and development as well as demonstration projects, and is coordinated by Berlin-based NOW GmbH (National Organisation Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology). Clean Energy Partnership: www.cleanenergypartnership.de/en NOW GmbH: www.now-gmbh.de/en Daimler, Emission-Free Driving: http://tinyurl.com/daimler-emission-free-driving Linde Hydrogen: http://tinyurl.com/linde-experience-h2 OMV Group: www.omv.com
ITM Power upgrades M1 hydrogen station, has new German head
U
K-based ITM Power has completed the 700 bar upgrade to its M1 Rotherham hydrogen refueling station, an important strategic part of the UK’s hydrogen infrastructure in enabling vehicles from London to access northern England. The company has also appointed Calum McConnell as managing director of its German subsidiary, ITM Power GmbH. In March 2015 ITM announced that it had been awarded funding to upgrade four existing stations, including the M1 Rotherham facility, and build two new stations on strategic partner sites in London. The work is funded by the government’s Office of Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) [FCB, April 2015, p9]. The M1 Rotherham station is located at the Hydrogen Mini Grid at the Advanced Manufacturing Park in Rotherham, just off J33 of the M1, close to the M18 junction [FCB, September 2015, p1, and see the ITM feature in January 2012]. The original 350 bar
October 2016