Photo Release -- Competitive Carbon Reduction Solution Advancing With Affordable and Ultra-Clean Fuel Cells
March 05 2015 - 8:30AM
- Ability to capture up to 90 percent of carbon emissions with a
scalable solution
- Performance milestones reached for coal and natural gas power
plant carbon capture
- Cost per ton of carbon captured below U.S. Department of Energy
target of $40/ton
- Added benefit includes destroying smog-producing nitrogen oxide
(NOx)
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 the continued
progress in the commercialization of an affordable and efficient
carbon capture solution utilizing fuel cells, following thousands
of hours of testing with simulated flue gas of a coal-fired power
plant. In addition to this evaluation under a U.S. Department of
Energy (DOE) contract, the program included a detailed design and
cost analysis for fuel cell applications capturing carbon dioxide
(CO2) from large scale coal-fired power plants. Results of this
study support cost targets below the U.S. Department of Energy
threshold of $40/ton. An additional benefit demonstrated is
tolerance levels and clean up requirements for the impurities in
coal plant exhaust, as well as the ability to destroy approximately
70 percent of smog-producing nitrogen oxide (NOx).
A photo accompanying this release is available at
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=31198
In addition to this progress for coal-fired applications,
testing is being conducted with private funding for the evaluation
of fuel cells for capturing CO2 from natural gas fired power
plants. Results to date are supporting the viability and cost
targets for gas-fired power plants and exhaust sources.
Discussions are currently underway with multiple parties to
scale the technology from the current sub-megawatt level to a
multi-megawatt fuel cell demonstration project at an operating coal
or gas-fired power plant.
"Our ability to efficiently and affordably capture carbon
emissions from existing power plants with fuel cells while also
destroying pollutants represents a sizeable potential market
opportunity," said Chip Bottone, President & Chief Executive
Officer, FuelCell Energy, Inc. "Assuming only a one percent market
penetration of existing coal-fired power plants in the USA, this is
potentially a one billion dollar near term market opportunity or
approximately 120 megawatts of fuel cell plants."
"Our fuel cell power generation and carbon capture solutions are
scalable, enabling an initial installation that can begin with
capturing six percent of carbon output, consistent with first-step
reductions recommended by U.S. EPA rule 111(d)," said Tony Leo,
Vice President Applications & Advanced Technology Development,
FuelCell Energy, Inc. "Beginning with five or six percent carbon
capture, additional fuel cell power plants can then be added
incrementally to reach the ultimate goal of 90 percent
capture."
- Conventional carbon capture technologies for coal-fired power
plants nearly double the cost of power, without any significant
destruction of pollutants and consumes about 20 percent of overall
power output.
- Utilizing a fuel cell solution to capture 90 percent of carbon
emissions results in a 78 percent reduction in NOx emissions,
increases power output by 80 percent, and only increases costs by
less than half of conventional amine capture, which is within DOE
cost targets of capturing carbon for less than $40/ton.
- Fuel cell plants can be added incrementally in a cost effective
manner. For example, beginning with five percent capture of carbon
emissions doesn't materially change the cost of power for rate
payers while decreasing pollutants and increasing power
output.
"It is also appropriate to highlight the value of the Federal
Investment Tax Credit in relation to carbon capture as the presence
of the ITC reduces the total capital investment needed by the power
plant owner to meet carbon reduction targets and facilitates the
attraction of private capital to own the fuel cell power plants,
leading to lower costs for rate-payers," continued Mr. Bottone.
The FuelCell Energy technology efficiently separates and
concentrates CO2 as a side reaction during the power generation
process. In a typical application, clean natural gas is combined
with ambient air to the fuel cells for their power generation
process. For the carbon capture fuel cell solution, the exhaust
flue gas of a coal or gas-fired power plant is directed to the air
intake of the fuel cell plant, replacing the use of ambient air.
Within the fuel cells, the CO2 in the flue gas is separated and
concentrated enabling cost effective capture.
An additional benefit is that approximately 70 percent of the
smog-producing nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions in coal and gas-fired
power plant exhaust is destroyed by the electro-chemical reaction
within the fuel cells. This reduces the cost of NOx removal
equipment for power plant operators while benefiting society with
cleaner air. Since DFC power plants produce power efficiently and
with virtually zero emissions, the net result is a compelling
solution for preventing the release of green-house gases by coal or
gas-fired power plants while simultaneously increasing overall net
efficiency and power output. Additional benefits include reduction
of the operating cost related to removal of NOx and reduction in
water usage as existing carbon capture technologies are water
intensive.
Direct FuelCell® (DFC®) power plants utilize carbonate fuel cell
technology and provide continuous power 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 clean natural
gas, on-site renewable biogas, or directed biogas. The fuel cells
generate power via a highly efficient electrochemical process that
is virtually devoid of nitrogen oxide (NOx) that causes smog,
sulfur dioxide (SOx) that contributes to acid rain, or particulate
matter (PM10) that can aggravate asthma.
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 3
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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