ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION

FUEL CELLS: Environmentally friendly micro and macro power plants are under development for the corporate sector and private homes.

Fuel cell technology is still at a development and testing stage. At Topsoe Fuel Cell, which in collaboration with Risoe National Laboratory is among the European leaders in fuel cell research, the objective per unit is to produce power for 40,000 hours. To date, Topsoe Fuel Cell has achieved 13,000 hours and the signs are that the target will be reached in 3-4 years. The first production is anticipated some time after 2008.

Topsoe Fuel Cell is collaborating with Risoe National Laboratory on fuel cell development, while the company itself will handle production.

“We are naturally expecting a competitive price for our products,” says Helge Holm-Larsen, business development director at Topsoe Fuel Cell.

Fuel cells A fuel cell is a high-efficiency electrochemical device, which converts the chemical energy in a fuel into electricity without prior combustion and without movable parts. A fuel cell basically comprises two electrodes (anode and cathode) and an electrolyte. At the anode the fuel is oxidised, releasing electrons. The electrons pass through an external electronic circuit to the cathode, where they react with oxygen. The process provides an electric current from a continuous supply of fuel. There are different types of fuel cell. Topsoe Fuel Cell concentrates on Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) technology. The chemical reaction in SOFC takes place at extremely high temperatures, resulting in a high level of efficiency. Solid Oxide Fuel Cells can utilize numerous types of fuel at high efficiency. Combustion of diesel in a conventional diesel engine exploits only 25% of the fuel’s energy, while more than 70% exploitation can be achieved by SOFC using diesel as feedstock.

Efficient and environmentally friendly
“We can see that the cost price is dropping, but the price must naturally be seen in relation to the other advantages that fuel cells offer. The products will have a very high power density as well as the ability to use different fuels,” says Holm-Larsen.

Fuel cells are also tremendously efficient and environmentally friendly compared to conventional motors, generators and turbines. When fuel cells convert chemical energy into electrical energy, the only waste product is water, which makes the process environmentally friendly.

Helge Holm-Larsen divides the potential market for fuel cells into three segments: two for stationary applications and one for transport applications.

“Coaches and trucks will increasingly need electrical power for cabin heating, TV, air conditioning etc. Today’s batteries can only power such devices for a short time unless the engine is run to provide continual recharging. This is however an expensive and polluting method with poor electrical efficiency. Our solution, for which we believe there is a giant market worldwide, is to install a small power plant which can use diesel as fuel. There are plenty of advantages: less fuel consumption, less emissions and less noise.”

Market segments
“The market segments for stationary applications are micro combined heat and power for residential application, and distributed generation,” says Helge Holm-Larsen. “The latter is primarily for local power stations outputting 0.5-1 MW, but there is also a new trend among large companies which are starting to produce their own electricity. Altogether we expect a strong increase in all forms of decentralised electrical power generation in the next 10-20 years. A fuel cell power station makes economic sense, and for families it means less dependency on the grid and lower costs,” says Larsen.

Topsoe Fuel Cell has recently received a EU grant of EUR 4.7 million for testing and demonstrating production and use of fuel cells over the next 3-4 years. “We consider this to be a signal from the EU that we are on the right track with our production method,” says Helge Holm-Larsen.

http://www.topsoefuelcell.com

Helge Holm-Larsen,
business development director at Topsoe Fuel Cell.