“The commissioning of this power plant marks a major step forward in the commercialization of our solid oxide platform, which will address multiple applications, including sub-megawatt power generation, long duration energy storage and complementary hydrogen solutions,” said Chip Bottone, President and Chief Executive Officer, FuelCell Energy, Inc. “We have pursued development of a highly efficient and cost effective solution using our patented solid oxide technology, with particular design emphasis on a common cell stack design for this extensive range of applications.”
The flexibility of the solid oxide platform stems from the ability of the cells to provide a variety of functions. The common stack can be used in power generation systems such as the Pittsburgh unit, where natural gas fuels ultra clean power generation. The system is also capable of supplying waste heat for on-site combined heat and power applications, and these systems are also able to operate on renewable biogas. The stacks can also be deployed in electrolysis systems, where they efficiently split water to produce hydrogen. Solid oxide electrolysis is capable of operating much more efficiently than conventional electrolysis systems, requiring less power to produce the same amount of hydrogen. The cells are capable of operating reversibly – alternating between electrolysis and fuel cell mode. Hydrogen produced by electrolysis can be stored, and later supplied back to the stacks to produce power, resulting in an energy storage system where storage duration can easily be lengthened by simply adding water and hydrogen storage capacity.
Mr. Bottone continued, “The power generation application, as this commissioned unit will be performing, will expand our target market, as currently our commercial offerings begin at 1.4 megawatts of electrical supply. We will be able to offer a fuel cell solution that will position FuelCell Energy quite competitively in the sub-megawatt class market segment with superior performance and cost profile versus current competitive offerings.”
“Additionally, we identified long ago the growing need for long duration storage of energy, and this need has only grown larger with the rapid addition of intermittent power sources such as wind and solar,” added Mr. Bottone. “Our solution, when full commercialization is achieved, will provide a distinct cost advantage versus traditional lithium ion battery storage solutions for discharge durations extending beyond six hours. This long duration energy storage capability, along with efficient electrolysis, are expected to be very effective in managing grid reliability in light of the increasing penetration of intermittent renewable power on the grid.”
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