Exciting pipeline of alt. energy projects:
Tri-Generation Fuel Cells – Opening Doors to Distributed Hydrogen MarketsBy Anthony LeoTri-Generation Fuel CellsIndustrial gas executives are asking critical questions about hydrogen: Is there an economical way to generate renewable hydrogen closer to the point of use, and reduce distribution costs? And can we then speed adoption of Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs), a potentially sizeable new market opportunity?Stationary, power-generating fuel cells are helping to address these questions in the form of tri-generation, which produces power, heat, and hydrogen from the same unit of fuel via an electrochemical reaction. Tri-generation fuel cell systems provide affordable and renewable hydrogen for both vehicle fueling and industrial applications, opening doors to distributed hydrogen markets.How “Tri-Generation” WorksTri-generation solutions, developed by FuelCell Energy, utilize proprietary fuel cell power plants configured to simultaneously generate three value streams — power, hydrogen, and heat — by reforming hydrogen-rich fuels such as natural gas or renewable biogas. These solutions utilize the same electrochemical process as the company’s power plants, but when configured for tri-generation, generate additional hydrogen beyond the amount needed for normal power production.Leveraging conventional generationTri-generation offers industrial gas companies a means of generating affordable and clean distributed hydrogen that is ideally suited for the emerging FCEV market and many industrial applications, such as users located a far distance from existing industrial gas generation facilities. By supplementing conventional technologies with tri-generation, industrial gas providers can gain access to expanding markets in a manner that controls distribution costs.Professor Scott Samuelsen, the Director of the National Fuel Cell Research Center (NFCRC) at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), believes that tri-generation systems have enormous potential, due to the many advantages they offer over existing technologies. According to Samuelsen, “Tri-generation is the single most efficient and environmentally sensitive means of transforming natural gas or biogas to hydrogen.”Samuelsen, who is also Professor of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Environmental Engineering at UCI, highlighted the unique characteristics of tri-generation fuel cells. These include:•Extremely high efficiency due to their unique operating characteristics;•Fuel flexibility including clean natural gas for numerous industrial applications; or renewable biogas for transportation — a carbon negative application;•Near-zero emission of criteria pollutants, and zero water use;•Clean and affordable hydrogen generation near or at the point of use; •Readiness for immediate deployment.Approximately 95 percent of thehydrogen produced today is generated by steam methane reformation of natural gas, which uses energy and water to produce the required steam and is only economical on a large scale. Supplementing reformation with clean, efficient distributed tri-generation can minimize distribution costs while reducing harmful emissions and water consumption.Electrolysis, another means of production, requires energy to separate hydrogen from water with a low conversion efficiency leading to high power needs in addition to water consumption. Utilizing renewable wind and solar energy in electrolysis can require considerable land and capital. Tri-generation can be a practical alternative for generating affordable, clean hydrogen where space and water consumption are constraints.Demonstrated Solutionsfor Hydrogen Markets“Tri-generation systems are based on FCE’s commercial power plant products. The key to the affordability of the hydrogen from these systems is that it Opening Doors to Distributed Hydrogen Markets
39July 2016 – CryoGas InternationalTri-Generation Fuel Cells – Opening Doors to Distributed Hydrogen Marketsis produced along with two other value streams: power and heat,” said Chip Bottone, President and Chief Executive Officer, FuelCell Energy, Inc. “When fueled with renewable biogas, these systems produce 100-percent renewable hydrogen at a price that is competitive with gasoline. The system has also been shown to have a negative carbon footprint for use in FCEVs.”FuelCell Energy provides comprehensive solutions for utility and on-site customers’ energy, environmental and business challenges, including developing large-scale turn-key projects. The company’s installed base of more than 50 sites on three continents has generated more than 4.5 billion kWh of electricity. FuelCell Energy operates and maintains the plants under long-term service agreements, and provides financing options so the end-users of power or hydrogen do not necessarily need to own the generation equipment.Transportation: Speeding FCEV AdoptionCalifornia, a leader for the emerging FCEV market, enacted Senate Bill 1505 which mandates that at least 33.3 percent of hydrogen produced at state-supported stations must come from low-carbon sources, and that 46 percent must come from renewable sources. Growth of a hydrogen fueling infrastructure has been slower than desired, however, impeding adoption.“FCEVs represent a significant growth opportunity for the renewable hydrogen market,” said Dr. Pere Margalef, Director, Advanced Technology Business Development for FuelCell Energy. FuelCell Energy successfully demonstrated its tri-generation solution during a three-year pilot program at the Orange County Sanitation District facility.“Because they efficiently and reliably generate affordable renewable hydrogen and are available now, our distributed tri-generation solutions can be instrumental in helping to rapidly grow this market.”Under a US Department of Energy project with support from California Air Resources Board (CARB), South Coast Air Quality Management District, the Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD), and Southern California Gas, FuelCell Energy in collaboration with the NFCRC successfully demonstrated its tri-generation solution during a three-year pilot program, installing its DFC-H2® tri-generation system at an OCSD facility. Configured to operate on renewable biogas produced from wastewater, it reliably generated value streams of renewable hydrogen, electricity and heat (see Figure 1). The hydrogen was supplied to a nearby fueling station operated by Air Products, while the electricity and heat supported the day-to-day operation of the wastewater treatment plant in a self-sustaining cycle.“The project was a major success,” Samuelsen reported. “It exceeded www.regoproducts.comwww.superiorprod.comSuperiorProductsA FULL LINE OF PRODUCTS FROM REGO®, GODDARD VALVES,AND SUPERIOR PRODUCTSGAS FLOW AND CONTROL SOLUTIONSFOR INDUSTRIAL GASMacro TechnologiesSuperiorProductsl Cryogenic Cylinder Equipment l Relief Valves l Globe Valves l Gate Valves l Regulators l Master High Pressure Valves ll Brass & Stainless Steel Gas Fittings & Assemblies l Flexible & Rigid Pigtails l Manifolds & Gas Management Systems l LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR PRODUCT LINES AT:www.regoproducts.com & www.superiorprod.com
chemical substance in the universe, has tremendous unrealized potential as an energy carrier. Through tri-generation, fuel cells offer an affordable approach to clean hydrogen production at or near the point of use, providing desirable attributes other technologies can’t such as zero water consumption and minimizing or even avoiding distribution challenges. As industry moves toward a vision of hydrogen that is affordable, environmentally responsible and readily available for both vehicles and industry, tri-generation appears to be a promising solution whose time has come.40July 2016 – CryoGas InternationalTri-Generation Fuel Cells – Opening Doors to Distributed Hydrogen Marketsexpectations and generated an extraordinary amount of interest from around the world. By affordably and efficiently converting waste into hydrogen, electricity, and heat while conserving water, tri-generation represents the epitome of sustainability.”Tri-generation certified “carbon negative”CARB established a Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), and conducts comprehensive lifecycle analyses of alternative fuel pathways to determine carbon intensity. CARB certified FuelCell Energy’s pilot program tri-generation system “carbon negative.”“Obtaining a ‘carbon negative’ designation is an unprecedented achievement in the industry,” said Dr. Margalef. “It reflects CARB’s recognition of our technology’s superior efficiency to generate hydrogen by utilizing the fuel cell reactions’ products (i.e. water and thermal energy) that otherwise would be lost.”Tri-generation projects attract private capital due to consistent, attractive financial returns, financially strong off-takers for the power and heat in the form of municipalities, and project sizes that are large enough to be interesting to project investors.Industry: Versatile & Efficient AlternativesTri-generation offers industrial hydrogen users an affordable, clean on-site distributed alternative to conventional generation, helping reduce operating costs and enhance energy and hydrogen independence, while enhancing sustainability. Potential users include petroleum refiners, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and chemical producers, as well as material handling, metals processing, and glass manufacturing concerns.FuelCell Energy uses a tri-generation solution at its North American manufacturing facility, where it showcases the advantages of on-site hydrogen generation. The hydrogen it generates serves as an oxidation preventative in fuel cell manufacturing processes, and replaces delivered hydrogen. Simultaneously, the electricity and heat generated by the tri-generation system supports around-the-clock manufacturing and facility heating, and reduces operating costs.Hydrogen, the most abundant By converting waste into hydrogen, electricity, and heat while conserving water, tri-generation represents the epitome of sustainability.Anthony Leo is Vice President, Applications and Advanced Technology Development at FuelCell Energy. He can be reached at tleo@fce.com or 203-825-6035
6.News flow from FCEL and partner ExxonMobil’s Carbon Capture projects.A few quotes again from FCEL’s CEO on the conference call(All emphasis and underlining is mine):Based on our common fuel cell component platform, our innovative carbon capture solution allows us to address the global opportunity with our core fuel cell design. The ability to produce power while efficiently capturing a concentrating carbon is a potential game changer. ExxonMobil agrees, and is enthusiastically promoting carbon capture in their public communications.Carbon capture is a global issue, with the U.S. comprising only a portion of the total market. We do
see leading utilities and oil and gas companies investing in carbon capture, independent of any specific government mandate. We recently announced an oil sands engineering study in Canada, for example. And ExxonMobil sees additional sizable opportunities in Asia. Our project in partnership with ExxonMobil is progressing as expected, and both parties are pleased with the progress against our milestones.In parallel, we will be installing the first demonstration fuel cell plant at a 2.7 gigawatt dual fuel, mixed use, coal and gas electric generating station in Alabama that is owned by Alabama Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company. The ExxonMobil team is very engaged, and we are making great progress. Activity in 2017 will further accelerate.Alberta Innovates is a consortium of many of the leading global oil and gas companies. This study is the first of a multi-phase project to prove our solution, and may potentially lead to MW-scale fuel cell carbon capture application at an existing gas-fired plant.Additionally, we are performing engineering studies under another contract to evaluate potential fuel cell carbon capture at one of two different oil sands processing plants in Canada (this is a 2ndproject with the Canadian oil sands players –and separate from the Alberta Innovates project).We are working on a number of other inquiries from companies and countries for energy, cement, and steel applications. 7.News flow related toFCEL’s Energy Storage Solution. This is referring to FCEL’s reversibleSolid Oxide Fuel Cell technology –and is a storage solution for intermittent renewable energy from solar and wind -so that they could theoretically generate power 24/7 as part of an integrated solution. Again from FCEL’s CEO on the conference call(All emphasisand underlining is mine):An area of significant growth: energy storage. We continue to advance our highly versatile solid oxide fuel cell technology with the recent funding announcements from the Department of Energy and response to request for proposals. This opportunity encompasses our current customer base, technology, and business model. This application converts excess power during periods of low power demand to hydrogen as the energy carrier, stores it for long periods of time, and then uses that hydrogen as a fuel source to generate clean power when needed during times of high power demand. Our storage solution is the most competitive offering for long-term storage, and comes with all the attractive siting and execution attributes as well.8.News flow from FCEL’s Distributed Hydrogen Solution.FCEL is continuing to advance a 10MW renewable, distributed hydrogen project in California.Please see the article: Tri-Generation Fuel Cell –Opening the
Doors to Distributed Hydrogen Markets–which was published in CryoGas International in 2016. FCEL has previously said that they are in discussions with potential off-takers for the electric power and heat energy –and a separate off-taker for the hydrogen gas. This proposed project would involve the siting of four 2.8MW FCEL DFC3000s -at four different waste water treatment plants in California.Note –all three value streams (electricity, heat and hydrogen) would be produced from biogas (sewage gas).From FCEL’s January 14th, 2016, press release(All emphasisand underlining is mine):Our commercial solution for generating hydrogen is technologically, operationally and financially superior to conventional hydrogen generation alternatives andour ability to generate renewablehydrogen affordably and with private capital is a game-changerthat addresses the challenges faced by regulators and auto manufacturers," said Chip Bottone, Chief Executive Officer, FuelCell Energy, Inc. "The key aspect of supporting the hydrogen infrastructure necessary for widespread fuel cell electric vehicle adoption is a clean and carbon-friendly solution that is priced competitively to the cost of gasoline, which is what we can deliver."
