Fuel cells have emerged as a small but potentially significant piece of the world’s energy puzzle. The U.S. Department of Energy estimated worldwide fuel cell system sales in 2013 at $1.3 billion, the first time the billion-dollar mark had been topped. Stationary power systems with an aggregate capacity of 150 MW were shipped in 2013, a 24% increase over the previous year.
Selling fuel cell power generation remains a tough business. One leading provider-installer-operator, FuelCell Energy Inc. (www.fuelcellenergy.com), stated in its 2014 annual report that its two biggest challenges to growth are reducing the total cost of fuel cells and getting major energy consumers to see the value that fuel-cell technology offers. The company reported net losses in each of its last five fiscal years.
FuelCell Energy is no Johnny-come-lately to this technology. Founded in 1969, the company has installed more than 100 plants operating at more than 50 sites in nine countries. A year ago, it entered into an agreement to install a 1.4-MW fuel cell plant that will provide about 30% of the power needs for the University of California Irvine Medical Center. Because that power will be generated without combustion, its exhaust will be virtually pollution free.
The fuel cell contributes to the site’s energy security, resiliency, and sustainability. Photo courtesy FuelCell Energy
Last November, Microsoft dedicated its $7.6 million zero-carbon data center in Cheyenne, Wyo. The facility draws power from a stationary fuel cell plant that converts biogas from a nearby municipal wastewater treatment facility into electricity. Microsoft, FuelCell Energy, and Siemens engineered and installed the power monitoring equipment for the data center.
Eighteen months ago, FuelCell Energy installed one of its 1.4-MW DFC1500 fuel cell power plants at Central Connecticut State University, in New Britain. The plant’s owner, Greenwood Energy, sells electricity and heat to CCSU under a long-term power purchase agreement. This is Greenwood’s first energy project with FuelCell Energy.
The plant integrates directly into the college’s existing energy infrastructure in a combined heat and power configuration. Rob Gagne, CCSU’s Plant Facilities Manager, says that the heat from the fuel cell plant produces 1,600–2,000 pounds of steam per hour. The steam is circulated across the 165-acre campus through a tunnel network and is used for heating and absorption cooling.
The plant provides about one-third of the 3,500–4,000 kw the university’s 40 buildings consume and cuts its annual electric power costs by $100,000.
Related Stories
| Aug 6, 2013
Australia’s first net zero office building features distinctive pixelated façade
Australia's first carbon neutral office building, featuring a distinctive pixelated façade, recently opened in Melbourne.
| Aug 2, 2013
Design of world’s tallest wood skyscraper would be more sustainable than steel alternative
Architecture firm C. F. Møller has proposed building the tallest wooden building in the world in Stockholm, Sweden.
| Jul 26, 2013
LEED V4 includes controversial cradle-to-cradle materials provision
Cradle to Cradle certification, a strict assessment of the environmental qualities of materials used in green buildings, is a controversial provision in LEED V4.
| Jul 17, 2013
CBRE recognizes nation's best green research projects
A rating system for comparative tenant energy use and a detailed evaluation of Energy Star energy management strategies are among the green research projects to be honored by commercial real estate giant CBRE Group.
| Jul 10, 2013
TED talk: Architect Michael Green on why we should build tomorrow's skyscrapers out of wood
In a newly posted TED talk, wood skyscraper expert Michael Green makes the case for building the next-generation of mid- and high-rise buildings out of wood.
| Jul 2, 2013
LEED v4 gets green light, will launch this fall
The U.S. Green Building Council membership has voted to adopt LEED v4, the next update to the world’s premier green building rating system.
| Jun 28, 2013
Calculating the ROI of building enclosure commissioning
A researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory calls building enclosure commissioning “the single-most cost-effective strategy for reducing energy, costs, and greenhouse gas emissions in buildings today.”
| Jun 19, 2013
Florida is latest battleground over LEED standards centered on certified wood
A nationwide battle over forest certification standards continues to be played out nationally and in Florida with legislation passed this month.
| Jun 17, 2013
DOE launches database on energy performance of 60,000 buildings
The Energy Department today launched a new Buildings Performance Database, the largest free, publicly available database of residential and commercial building energy performance information.
| Jun 5, 2013
USGBC: Free LEED certification for projects in new markets
In an effort to accelerate sustainable development around the world, the U.S. Green Building Council is offering free LEED certification to the first projects to certify in the 112 countries where LEED has yet to take root.
