NEWS

4Fuel Cells Bulletin March 2009

Contact: Helbio SA, Patras Science Park, Rio, Greece. Tel: +30 2610 911562, www.helbio.com

Or contact: Morphic Technologies AB, Karlskoga, Sweden. Tel: +46 586 67390, www.morphic.se

Or contact: Exergy Fuel Cells, Cadriano di Granarolo (Bologna), Italy. Tel: +39 051 675 1129, www.exergyfuelcells.com

ATI to install fuel cell backup power for Fort Jackson, SC

The US Army Corps of Engineers – through its Engineer Research

and Development Center (ERDC) – has entered into a cooperative agree-ment with the Advanced Technology Institute (ATI) in Charleston, South Carolina to deploy 10 fuel cell backup power units in three mission-critical applications at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.

The US Department of Energy and South Carolina Research Authority – the parent orga-nization of ATI – are also partners in the proj-ect. The total funding to support the deploy-ment, shared among the partners, is approxi-mately $500 000. LOGANEnergy of Roswell, Georgia will design, install, commission and provide technical support services for the 10 fuel cell units to be deployed at Fort Jackson.

The project will assess the performance, durability and life-cycle costs of commercially available fuel cell technology operating in a backup power application. The fuel cells will provide critical backup power to the Fort Jackson Telecommunications Center, Energy Monitoring and Control Facility, and Emergency Services Center.

After an 18-month performance monitoring period, the Fort will continue to use the fuel cell systems to provide improved reliability, reduced emissions compared to conventional technologies, and lower life-cycle costs in backing up these mission-essential power requirements. The equipment installations also may provide mutually beneficial work-force development partnership opportunities between Fort Jackson and nearby Midlands Technical College, which has developed and begun offering a fuel cell technician program of study.

‘We are delighted to partner with the Departments of Energy and Defense, the City of Columbia, and the [University of South Carolina] Columbia Fuel Cell Collaborative to bring about this important fuel cell project at Fort Jackson,’ says Bill Mahoney, CEO of the

South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA, www.scra.org). ‘This project illustrates how SCRA’s proven business models can benefit the commercialization process of this rapidly growing technology in South Carolina.’

The project team is working to complete the installations and have the equipment operation-al in time to showcase this project during the 20th Annual National Hydrogen Association Conference, taking place in Columbia, South Carolina at the end of March.

ATI builds international consortia to develop and implement innovative solutions for the manufacturing, aerospace, automotive, maritime, metals, energy and healthcare industries. ATI-led collaborations attract world-class talent from premier companies, universities and government agencies.

Contact: Russ Keller, Advanced Technology Institute, Charleston, South Carolina, USA. Tel: +1 843 760 4358, www.aticorp.org

Or contact: LOGANEnergy Corporation, Roswell, Georgia, USA. Tel: +1 724 449 4668, www.loganenergy.com

large stationary

Connecticut draft approval for 6.6 MW of FCE power plant projects

The Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control (DPUC) has

issued a draft decision approving 6.6 MW of projects incorporating Direct FuelCell® (DFC®) power plants sup-plied by Danbury-based FuelCell Energy. The final decision by DPUC was scheduled for the end of January.

DPUC approved a 3.4 MW Direct FuelCell-Energy Recovery Generation (DFC-ERG) power plant for a natural gas letdown station in Bloomfield, and a 3.2 MW Direct FuelCell/Turbine (DFC/T) for a substation in Danbury. Both of these projects are subject to agreements to reflect the full value of the federal investment tax credit. In its decision, DPUC said that the unprecedented set of economic circumstances currently being expe-rienced requires an austere approach to the selection process in this matter.

‘The award of 6.6 MW of DFC fuel cell projects helps fulfill the state’s Renewable Portfolio requirements,’ comments R. Daniel Brdar, chairman/CEO of FuelCell Energy. ‘Ultra-clean fuel cell distributed generation can help utilities relieve grid congestion, increase

reliability, and reduce the need for new central generation, transmission and distribution.’

Distributed generation fuel cells locate the power generation where it is needed, adding 24/7 baseload power to the existing transmis-sion and distribution network. Because the installations are smaller than typical central generation power plants, they are easier to site, permit, and finance. DFC power plants have a relatively small footprint, and can be deployed in about a year, compared to 36 months or longer for central generation plants that are more difficult to site because of their size and emissions. Furthermore, new transmission and distribution lines can be controversial, further delaying deployment.

The DFC-ERG and DFC/T power plants are approximately 60% electrically efficient, compared to the 30–40% efficiency achieved by similar-sized fossil fuel power plants. The absence of combustion virtually eliminates pollutants like NOx, SOx and particulates, and DFC power plants’ higher efficiency means they deliver more ultra-clean power for each unit of fuel used, substantially reducing power costs and CO2 emissions.

Contact: FuelCell Energy Inc, Danbury, Connecticut, USA. Tel: +1 203 825 6000, www.fuelcellenergy.com

Doosan to develop MCFCs to use CO2 from thermal power plants

In Korea, Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction Co Ltd has been

designated as the host company for a power generation fuel cell develop-ment project, one of eight strategic renewable energy projects being supported by the Ministry of the Knowledge Economy.

Over the next five years, the ministry will support Korean development of technology for MW-class molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFCs) designed to be operated in con-junction with power plants. This technology combination could be developed into a large-scale export industry, building on fuel cell core technology being developed by Doosan.

The Doosan-led project is significant in that it will maximize the efficiency of the fuel cells by linking them with thermal power plants and desalination plants, thus going beyond the development of fuel cells simply for power generation. Since Doosan is engaged in both the power generation and water desalination businesses, it is considered to be best posi-tioned to take charge of this project.

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