Air Products is pumping hydrogen into fuel cell vehicles that is generated from the municipal wastewater treatment plant at the Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD).
The Fountain Valley project also generates electricity and heat from this renewable source.
Methane gas, which is generated while the wastewater at the OCSD plant sits in holding tanks, starts a clean-up process where the gas stream enters a purification system and then feeds into a fuel cell, built by FuelCell Energy, where it is reformed to hydrogen.
In the fuel cell, clean energy is delivered for use at the OCSD plant and the heat created also be directed to several site uses.
Excess hydrogen not converted to electricity leaves the unit and is further purified to make it vehicle grade for fuel cell automobile fueling.
The fueling station will produce enough hydrogen for 25 to 50 fuel cell vehicle fuelings per day and generate 250kW of electricity daily.
