- Email: [email protected]
myFC integrates micro fuel cells into leading smartphones and case
NEWS economical, and available fuel source for delivery of natural gas. The collaboration with Egoli Gas will provide Dominovas with the gas supply required for continual operation of the Rubicon in South Africa. Dominovas can now continue with the scheduled launch of its next phase of the demonstration project’s development for delivery, installation, and operation of the Rubicon system at the University of Johannesburg [FCB, June 2016, p6]. The deployment of this 50 kW unit is the result of collaboration with system integration partner AVL List GmbH in Austria and stack supplier SOLIDpower SpA in Italy. Dominovas will continue to engage with AVL and SOLIDpower to support its multi-MW deployments in South Africa. Egoli Gas is now working to complete the infrastructure to support a dedicated natural gas pipeline, and place meters at the designated termination point for the operation of the Rubicon on the University of Johannesburg campus. Egoli Gas expects that the installation will be complete and ready for operational use at the beginning of April 2017. The MOU creates a framework for Egoli Gas and Dominovas to collaborate on demonstrating the benefits of natural gas use, and will set the stage for a long-term relationship. The companies will work in partnership on additional multi-MW-scale projects within the Egoli Gas footprint within Johannesburg, with anticipation of an expanded footprint throughout South Africa. In summer 2015 Dominovas executed a 3 MW, multi-year Power Provider Agreement to provide electricity utilising its Rubicon system for the City of David in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in central Africa, and a similar deal to provide electricity to the Somico Mine in DRC [FCB, July 2015, p7]. Dominovas Energy Corporation, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Tel: 1 800 679 1249 (tollfree in US), www.dominovasenergy.com Egoli Gas (Pty) Ltd: www.egoligas.co.za
FuelCell Energy in carbon capture project for Canadian oil sands
U
S-based FuelCell Energy has signed a contract with Alberta Innovates in Canada for an engineering study on a molten carbonate fuel cell carbon capture application at a Husky Energyowned heavy oil thermal facility near Lloydminster, Saskatchewan. This engineering study kicks off a multiphase
8
Fuel Cells Bulletin
project to prove the application, and could lead to a MW-scale fuel cell carbon capture application at an existing gasfired plant. FuelCell Energy will develop and prove the application for a suitably configured MW-class fuel cell power plant to simultaneously concentrate and capture carbon while producing ultra-clean power. Alberta Innovates will lead the project as part of a consortium effort with Husky Energy and MEG Energy, plus Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance members BP, Canadian Natural Resources Ltd, Cenovus Energy, Devon Canada, Shell, and Suncor. A second potential site, the Scotford bitumen upgrading facility near Edmonton, Alberta, will also be evaluated as part of the engineering study. The upgrader is part of the Shelloperated Athabasca Oil Sands Project (ASOP), a joint venture between Shell Canada Energy, Chevron Canada, and Marathon Oil Canada. The study will focus on how an MCFC power plant can separate and capture CO2 from both the Husky Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) heavy oil thermal facility and the Scotford bitumen upgrading facility, where bitumen extracted from the oil sands is converted into synthetic crude oil. The fuel cell carbon capture solution efficiently concentrates CO2 from the facility’s extraction process as a side reaction to power generation, and this ability to produce power while simultaneously capturing CO2 is the critical differentiator versus conventional capture technologies. The study will determine how a MW-scale Direct FuelCell® power plant operating on natural gas can affordably capture up to 43 tonnes of CO2 per day, and destroy 70% of the nitrogen oxide (NOx) in the flue gas routed to the fuel cell from the bitumen upgraders. FuelCell Energy is also working with ExxonMobil to test this technology in the US, at a coal and gas-fired power plant in Alabama [FCB, November 2016, p4, and see the News Feature in May 2016], following technology development supported by the Department of Energy [October 2015, p7]. Earlier this year FuelCell Energy contracted with Cenovus Energy to prepare for siting an MCFC system to capture CO2 from flue gas at an existing natural gas-fired turbine cogeneration facility at the University of Calgary in Alberta [March 2016, p6]. In other news, FuelCell Energy has begun commercial operation of Pfizer’s 5.6 MW power generation system in Groton, Connecticut [see page 6]. FuelCell Energy, Danbury, Connecticut, USA. Tel: +1 203 825 6000, www.fuelcellenergy.com Carbon capture: www.fuelcellenergy.com/advancedtechnologies/carbon-capture Alberta Innovates: www.albertainnovates.ca
PORTABLE & MICRO
myFC integrates micro fuel cells into leading smartphones and case
S
wedish-based myFC has integrated its PEM fuel cell into several leading smartphones, power banks, and even a cell phone case. These include an iPhone 7 and a Samsung Galaxy S7 featuring a fully functional and entirely integrated fuel cell. myFC has also integrated its fuel cell into the HTC 10, LG G5, Huawei Nexus 6P and Xiaomi Mi5 smartphones, the GP Powerbank and Anker PowerCore+ power banks, and the Mophie Juice Pack cell phone case. myFC emphasises that this work so far has been performed independently of the device manufacturers. The company adds that its business model will be based on licensing of its fuel cell technology. The integrated smartphones, power banks, and battery case are powered by myFC’s JAQ PowerCard, based on water and salt. They do not require cables, external charging or access to an electrical outlet to charge the phone. The technology has previously only been demonstrated and sold in stand-alone products, such as the JAQ fuel cell charger [FCB, March 2015, p6] and the PowerTrekk hybrid fuel cell [November 2015, p6]. The integrated fuel cell increases the thickness of Apple’s iPhone 7 by only 0.9 mm. ‘Integration of our fuel cells into smartphones has been our goal for a long time, and through the technological development with JAQ, we can accelerate the integration development of our platform,’ says myFC CEO Björn Westerholm. ‘The latest trend with smartphone users’ extreme power thirst, in combination with technological breakthroughs in our own development, has prompted us to intensify our work with integration.’ myFC has just signed a two-year sales and distribution agreement for its JAQ fuel cell charger with the leading Chinese cell phone distributor, China Telling Communications [see page 12]. In the summer the company delivered its first JAQ order, for testing and evaluation with cell phone operator 3 Sweden [FCB, July 2016, p6]. It has also signed distribution agreements with the ‘du’ mobile network carrier in the United Arab Emirates and with Mobileistic for the American market [January 2016, p6].
myFC AB, Stockholm, Sweden. Tel: +46 8 5000 0200, www.myfcpower.com
December 2016
FuelCell Energy in carbon capture project for Canadian oil sands
U
S-based FuelCell Energy has signed a contract with Alberta Innovates in Canada for an engineering study on a molten carbonate fuel cell carbon capture application at a Husky Energyowned heavy oil thermal facility near Lloydminster, Saskatchewan. This engineering study kicks off a multiphase
8
Fuel Cells Bulletin
project to prove the application, and could lead to a MW-scale fuel cell carbon capture application at an existing gasfired plant. FuelCell Energy will develop and prove the application for a suitably configured MW-class fuel cell power plant to simultaneously concentrate and capture carbon while producing ultra-clean power. Alberta Innovates will lead the project as part of a consortium effort with Husky Energy and MEG Energy, plus Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance members BP, Canadian Natural Resources Ltd, Cenovus Energy, Devon Canada, Shell, and Suncor. A second potential site, the Scotford bitumen upgrading facility near Edmonton, Alberta, will also be evaluated as part of the engineering study. The upgrader is part of the Shelloperated Athabasca Oil Sands Project (ASOP), a joint venture between Shell Canada Energy, Chevron Canada, and Marathon Oil Canada. The study will focus on how an MCFC power plant can separate and capture CO2 from both the Husky Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) heavy oil thermal facility and the Scotford bitumen upgrading facility, where bitumen extracted from the oil sands is converted into synthetic crude oil. The fuel cell carbon capture solution efficiently concentrates CO2 from the facility’s extraction process as a side reaction to power generation, and this ability to produce power while simultaneously capturing CO2 is the critical differentiator versus conventional capture technologies. The study will determine how a MW-scale Direct FuelCell® power plant operating on natural gas can affordably capture up to 43 tonnes of CO2 per day, and destroy 70% of the nitrogen oxide (NOx) in the flue gas routed to the fuel cell from the bitumen upgraders. FuelCell Energy is also working with ExxonMobil to test this technology in the US, at a coal and gas-fired power plant in Alabama [FCB, November 2016, p4, and see the News Feature in May 2016], following technology development supported by the Department of Energy [October 2015, p7]. Earlier this year FuelCell Energy contracted with Cenovus Energy to prepare for siting an MCFC system to capture CO2 from flue gas at an existing natural gas-fired turbine cogeneration facility at the University of Calgary in Alberta [March 2016, p6]. In other news, FuelCell Energy has begun commercial operation of Pfizer’s 5.6 MW power generation system in Groton, Connecticut [see page 6]. FuelCell Energy, Danbury, Connecticut, USA. Tel: +1 203 825 6000, www.fuelcellenergy.com Carbon capture: www.fuelcellenergy.com/advancedtechnologies/carbon-capture Alberta Innovates: www.albertainnovates.ca
PORTABLE & MICRO
myFC integrates micro fuel cells into leading smartphones and case
S
wedish-based myFC has integrated its PEM fuel cell into several leading smartphones, power banks, and even a cell phone case. These include an iPhone 7 and a Samsung Galaxy S7 featuring a fully functional and entirely integrated fuel cell. myFC has also integrated its fuel cell into the HTC 10, LG G5, Huawei Nexus 6P and Xiaomi Mi5 smartphones, the GP Powerbank and Anker PowerCore+ power banks, and the Mophie Juice Pack cell phone case. myFC emphasises that this work so far has been performed independently of the device manufacturers. The company adds that its business model will be based on licensing of its fuel cell technology. The integrated smartphones, power banks, and battery case are powered by myFC’s JAQ PowerCard, based on water and salt. They do not require cables, external charging or access to an electrical outlet to charge the phone. The technology has previously only been demonstrated and sold in stand-alone products, such as the JAQ fuel cell charger [FCB, March 2015, p6] and the PowerTrekk hybrid fuel cell [November 2015, p6]. The integrated fuel cell increases the thickness of Apple’s iPhone 7 by only 0.9 mm. ‘Integration of our fuel cells into smartphones has been our goal for a long time, and through the technological development with JAQ, we can accelerate the integration development of our platform,’ says myFC CEO Björn Westerholm. ‘The latest trend with smartphone users’ extreme power thirst, in combination with technological breakthroughs in our own development, has prompted us to intensify our work with integration.’ myFC has just signed a two-year sales and distribution agreement for its JAQ fuel cell charger with the leading Chinese cell phone distributor, China Telling Communications [see page 12]. In the summer the company delivered its first JAQ order, for testing and evaluation with cell phone operator 3 Sweden [FCB, July 2016, p6]. It has also signed distribution agreements with the ‘du’ mobile network carrier in the United Arab Emirates and with Mobileistic for the American market [January 2016, p6].
myFC AB, Stockholm, Sweden. Tel: +46 8 5000 0200, www.myfcpower.com
December 2016