FuelCell Energy Announces Market Developments for On-Site Distributed Hydrogen Generation Using Versatile Stationary Fuel Cel...
March 07 2014 - 8:30AM
FuelCell Energy, Inc. (Nasdaq:FCEL), a global leader in the design,
manufacture, operation and service of ultra-clean, efficient and
reliable fuel cell power plants, today announced further progress
with developing the on-site distributed hydrogen generation
market with a $2.8 million continuation of an award from the U.S.
Department of Energy's Advanced Manufacturing Office to showcase
the tri-generation capabilities of a Direct FuelCell® (DFC®) power
plant for industrial applications. Versatile DFC power plants
can provide hydrogen at the point of use in addition to ultra-clean
electricity and usable high quality heat in a solution that is cost
competitive, environmentally friendly and easy to
site. FuelCell Energy will install a sub-megawatt fuel cell
power plant at its manufacturing facility in Torrington,
Connecticut, to generate hydrogen, electricity and heat, replacing
hydrogen that is currently purchased and delivered to the facility
via truck, and replacing electricity purchased from the electric
grid. The tri-generation DFC-H2® is expected to be operational
by the end of 2014.
"The objective of this project is to demonstrate the technology
and system that will enable market development for distributed
hydrogen used for industrial purposes, delivered efficiently,
cleanly and in an economically compelling manner by our existing
technology," said Chip Bottone, President and Chief Executive
Officer at FuelCell Energy, Inc. "In addition to offering
ultra-clean electricity and usable high quality heat, this fuel
cell installation will provide reliable on-site hydrogen production
that has the potential to reduce costs associated with purchasing,
transporting and storing hydrogen. We estimate a potential market
size of $1.6 billion for our tri-generation DFC-H2 fuel cell power
plants serving the industrial and mobility markets in the United
States alone."
This DFC-H2 installation can generate about 135 kilograms of
hydrogen per day which generally meets the daily requirements of
many industrial hydrogen users. Once commercially available,
the production cost of the hydrogen from DFC plants is expected to
be competitively priced within a range of $5 to $7 per kilogram or
even lower with increased production volumes. On-site
hydrogen generation from DFC plants avoids the costs and pollutants
associated with transportation while enhancing the reliability of
supply.
"For this installation in Torrington, hydrogen will be used as
an oxidation preventative to support the company's manufacturing
process, replacing hydrogen we currently purchase and have
delivered," said Neil Aiello, Vice President of Manufacturing at
FuelCell Energy, Inc. "The high quality heat will contribute
to facility heating while the ultra-clean baseload electricity will
support our around-the-clock production."
While this industrial application is the first of its kind, a
DFC-H2 project has been operating for over two years, converting
renewable biogas from the Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD)
in Fountain Valley, California into renewable hydrogen for vehicle
fueling as well as ultra-clean electricity. This installation
generates 250 kilowatts of power which is enough to power about 250
average size homes and provide renewable hydrogen that can fuel
approximately 25 vehicles per day.
FuelCell Energy power plants provide combined heat and power
(CHP) capabilities, also known as cogeneration, by providing both
high quality baseload power and thermal energy from a single fuel
source. For this project, FuelCell Energy will configure the
stationary fuel cell power plant to also produce and distribute
useable hydrogen, making it a tri-generation system, or CHHP, and a
valuable on-site resource for industrial applications.
Fuel cells electrochemically convert a fuel source into
electricity and heat in a highly efficient process that emits
virtually no pollutants due to the absence of combustion. The
Direct FuelCell® (DFC®) stationary fuel cell power plants
manufactured by FuelCell Energy utilize carbonate fuel cell
technology and provide continuous baseload power located where the
power is used, including both on-site applications and electric
grid support. The combination of near-zero pollutants, modest
land-use needs, and quiet operating nature of these stationary fuel
cell power plants facilitates locating the power plants in urban
locations. The power plants are fuel flexible, capable of
operating on natural gas, on-site renewable biogas, or directed
biogas.
About FuelCell Energy
Direct FuelCell® power plants are generating ultra-clean,
efficient and reliable power at more than 50 locations
worldwide. With more than 300 megawatts of power generation
capacity installed or in backlog, FuelCell Energy is a global
leader in providing ultra-clean baseload distributed generation to
utilities, industrial operations, universities, municipal water
treatment facilities, government installations and other customers
around the world. The Company's power plants have generated
more than two billion kilowatt hours of ultra-clean power using a
variety of fuels including renewable biogas from wastewater
treatment and food processing, as well as clean natural
gas. For more information, please visit
www.fuelcellenergy.com
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Direct FuelCell, DFC, DFC/T, DFC-H2 and FuelCell Energy, Inc.
are all registered trademarks of FuelCell Energy, Inc. DFC-ERG
is a registered trademark jointly owned by Enbridge, Inc. and
FuelCell Energy, Inc.
CONTACT: FuelCell Energy, Inc.
Kurt Goddard, Vice President Investor Relations
203-830-7494
ir@fce.com
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