FCEL vor Gewinnschwelle 2013

25/07/2013
By Diarmaid Williams
International Digital Editor

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Nine communities in the US state of Connecticut will share $18m as part of a microgrid project designed to maintain critical buildings during electric grid outages often caused by severe weather.

The town of Woodbridge, New Haven is one community to take part and will receive $3m to create a microgrid using a 1.6 megawatt natural gas-powered turbine and a 400-kilowatt fuel cell that will be used to keep power on for the community’s police and fire stations, Department of Public Works, Town Hall and Amity Regional High School during electric outages. Microgrids function like small versions of state and regional power grids, but would only operate when power is lost.

Connecticut town

One other project receiving funding is a microgrid for the Naval Submarine Base in Groton, which will get $3m for a 5 MW cogeneration turbine and for a 1.5 megawatt diesel turbine.

Gov. Dannel Malloy announced the awards as part of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Microgrid Pilot Program, which is designed to develop innovative ways to keep critical buildings powered during electric grid outages.

“These projects will help protect residents and vital public services even when the power goes out, and in doing so allow us to provide critical services during times of emergency.

“Over the next two years, I’ve recommended an additional $30m in funding for the state’s microgrid program to strengthen more Connecticut communities.”

The nine projects awarded the funding include microgrids for municipal buildings as well as to power parts of college campuses at Wesleyan University, the University of Connecticut and the University of Hartford.

For more cogeneration news

Im Laufe des letzten Jahrzehnts hat sich die Energy Department in Forschung und Entwicklung investiert, um die Effizienz zu verbessern und die Kosten senken von Brennstoffzellen. Diese Forschung hat dazu beigetragen, verringern die Menge von Platin in Katalysatoren durch einen Faktor von fünf verwendet und reduziert die Kosten für den Transport Brennstoffzellen um mehr als 80% seit 2002. Projekte wie diese sind in mehr als 400 Patente, 65 vor-kommerziellen Technologien und fast 40 kommerziellen Technologien in den Markt-Positionierung die Nation als ein weltweit führendes Unternehmen in den Schwellenländern Brennstoffzellen-Industrie geführt.
Aufbauend auf diesen Bemühungen, kündigte die Projekte heute Forschungs-und Entwicklungsarbeiten zu machen, kostengünstige, hochleistungsfähige Brennstoffzellenmembranen die unter heißer und trockener Bedingungen arbeiten können sollen fortgesetzt werden. Zum Beispiel wird 3M erhalten Sie $ 3 Millionen auf die Entwicklung innovativer Brennstoffzellen-Membranen mit verbesserter Haltbarkeit und Leistung unter Verwendung von Verfahren, die leicht lassen sich handelsübliche Größe konzentrieren. Die Colorado School of Mines erhält $ 1,5 Mio. fortschrittliche Hybrid-Membranen für die Schneide, der nächsten Generation Brennstoffzellen, die einfacher und erschwinglicher und in der Lage, bei höheren Temperaturen arbeiten, sind zu entwickeln.
   
QUELLE: US DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

- See more at: www.fuelcelltoday.com/news-events/...osts#sthash.Dbw8an3U.dpuf

What makes fuel cells distinct as a power source is they extract energy from fuel without burning it. Instead, the fuel is used in an “electrochemical” reaction, similar to the reactions that consume zinc or cadmium in common batteries. The difference is that when the battery reactants are consumed they are discarded, or the battery is recharged. Fuel cell reactants are continuously fed to the fuel cell, which makes power as long as fuel and air are supplied. The easiest fuel to react electrochemically is hydrogen. Today, fuel cell power plants are able to extract hydrogen from natural gas or biogas—making them viable wherever natural gas or biogas is available.

The electrochemical conversion process has several advantages over combustion. Since there is no flame, many of the harmful pollutants created by burning fuel are not created. Also, fuel cells create electricity directly from the fuel, at higher efficiencies than mechanical systems that require multiple energy conversion steps. And the absence of rotating mechanical components makes fuel cells inherently quiet.

Fuel cell technologies are characterized by the electrolyte used to separate the fuel and air electrodes, and several types are commercially available for on-site combined heat and power (CHP).

One of these, the carbonate fuel cell, offers distinct advantages. First, they operate at about 1000°F, and the high temperature promotes high electrical efficiency; when used for CHP, carbonate fuel cells can approach 90% efficiency. Furthermore, for CHP, the heat can be fed back into on-site heat and hot water systems, absorption chilling systems for facility cooling, or be sold off to neighboring facilities. And finally, fuel cells also provide fuel flexibility; the process of extracting hydrogen from natural gas or biogas (called “reforming”) occurs directly in the fuel cell stack. Carbonate fuel cells can use either as fuel almost interchangeably.

The photo below shows a typical on-site CHP application of a carbonate fuel cell power plant. Rated at 1.4 megawatts, this plant operates at California State University’s East Bay campus near San Francisco. The fuel stack module contains four fuel cell stacks, each with about 400 cells. Direct current power from the stack module is sent to the power conversion system, which produces alternating current power at the correct grid voltage and frequency. Mechanical equipment (air blowers and heat exchangers) is on a skid behind power conversion equipment. The system exhaust is directed to a waste heat recovery system, which produces hot water from heat left over from the fuel cell.

1307 renewableenergy b 300x224 Renewable Energy: Combined Heat And Power With Fuel Cells
Photo: Fuelcell Energy

In the 10 years since commercial carbonate fuel cell power plants first became available, the cost has reduced more than 60%. Currently more than 80 of these plants are installed at over 50 sites around the world. The largest single facility is a 59 MW system being installed in South Korea with full power production anticipated by the end of 2013 or early 2014.

Leo is vice president, application engineering and advanced technology development, at FuelCell Energy, headquartered in Danbury, CT. Working at the company (then Energy Research Corporation) since1978, he holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.