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STATE OF THE ART |
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Fuel Cells Move Towards Commercialisation Fuel cells are now approaching commercialisation across a number of applications. This article looks at a selection of projects that demonstrate the advances being made by this environmentally friendly technology. Fuel Cell Bus is a World First for UK In December, Mr John Battle MP, Minister for Energy and Industry, announced that the DTI is to support the design, construction and evaluation of a solid polymer fuel cell (SPFC) bus. This will be the first methanol-fuelled SPFC bus in the world to be evaluated on commercial routes. The total cost of the project, which will be led by Robert Wright and Sons Ltd, is estimated at £3.85 million; the DTI will contribute 50% of the industrial research costs. The bus will take full advantage of the design flexibility and benefits offered by fuel cell power and electric drive-trains. It is expected that the vehicle will be a full-size 12m vehicle, which will make use of techniques being developed by Robert Wright and Sons under the DTI's Foresight Vehicle Initiative. The bus's overall power rating will be about 175kWe, with a fuel cell power rating in the order of 50kWe. Johnson Matthey will develop and supply an advanced methanol fuel processor, based on its HotSpotTM reformer and DemonoxTM carbon monoxide clean-up technologies. Alstom Transport SA will design the electric drive-train using its compact OnixTM low-floor motorised axle. The fuel cell stacks will be purchased by competitive tender. After exhaustive testing, the bus will be evaluated on commercial routes in a UK city. These trials, planned for 2001, will be a valuable opportunity for the public to see, at first hand, fuel cell technology in action. As well as assessing operating costs, reliability and performance, particular attention will be paid to feedback from drivers and passengers. Taking Up the Challenge of PAFC CHP Scottish Hydro Electric, one of the UK's largest CHP operators, is to work in conjunction with Ansaldo CLC of Italy, a supplier of commercially packaged phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC) systems in Europe, to evaluate commercial PAFC cogeneration applications in the UK. This study, to be funded by the DTI, will examine issues such as identifying segments of the CHP market and specific applications in the UK where commercially available packaged PAFC systems fuelled by natural gas have the potential to be competitive. It will also assess the potential energy efficiency and environmental benefits of packaged PAFC systems compared with conventional CHP systems and a combination of grid-supplied electricity and natural gas boilers. PAFCs are the most commercially advanced fuel cell system currently available, with over 150 installations worldwide. The most advanced PAFC system can be bought off the shelf in a 200kWe standard package, including all necessary balance of plant and system diagnostics. These packages are compact, have proven to be durable, operate at high fuel conversion efficiencies and offer high levels of availability. In generic terms, PAFCs will deliver electricity at around 40% electrical efficiency and heat at around 45% thermal efficiency, giving an overall system efficiency of some 85%. UK's First Fuel Cell CHP System As part of a Woking Borough Council "green energy" initiative, the UK's first fuel cell CHP system will be installed in Woking Park. The PAFC system, which should be operational in 2000, will serve both the Council's Pool In The Park swimming pool complex and Woking Leisure Centre. It will supplement the existing CHP system in the Leisure Lagoon, providing an opportunity to compare the economic, operational and environmental implications of PAFC CHP with conventional fuel mix supply and conventional CHP. A DTI-supported project will track the project through planning, development, procurement, financing and installation, as well as subsequent operation and maintenance. This will provide industry with detailed information on how such fuel cell CHP technology can be successfully implemented. Depending on the commercial results of the project and the level of acceptance of the green energy concept by consumers in the deregulated market, Thameswey Ltd (a Woking Borough Council and London Electricity plc joint venture company) intends to exploit fuel cell CHP in appropriate areas of the deregulated energy market place. For more information, contact the Enquiries Bureau (see below). |
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