Versatile DFC power plants can provide hydrogen at the point of use in addition to ultra-clean electricity and usable high quality heat in a solution that is cost competitive, environmentally friendly and easy to site.
FuelCell Energy will install a sub-megawatt fuel cell power plant at its manufacturing facility in Torrington, Connecticut, to generate hydrogen, electricity and heat, replacing hydrogen that is currently purchased and delivered to the facility via truck, and replacing electricity purchased from the electric grid. The tri-generation DFC-H2(R) is expected to be operational by the end of 2014.
"The objective of this project is to demonstrate the technology and system that will enable market development for distributed hydrogen used for industrial purposes, delivered efficiently, cleanly and in an economically compelling manner by our existing technology," said Chip Bottone, president and chief executive officer at FuelCell Energy.
This DFC-H2 installation can generate about 135 kilograms of hydrogen per day which generally meets the daily requirements of many industrial hydrogen users. Once commercially available, the production cost of the hydrogen from DFC plants is expected to be competitively priced within a range of $5 to $7 per kilogram or even lower with increased production volumes.
FuelCell Energy power plants provide combined heat and power (CHP) capabilities, also known as cogeneration, by providing both high quality baseload power and thermal energy from a single fuel source.
For this project, FuelCell Energy will configure the stationary fuel cell power plant to also produce and distribute useable hydrogen, making it a tri-generation system, or CHHP, and a valuable on-site resource for industrial applications.
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