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FuelCell Energy Announces Two Contract Awards
Thursday, November 2, 2000 07:07 AM ?Mail this article to a friend
DANBURY, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 2, 2000--
New, Specialized Applications for Direct FuelCell(TM) Power Plants
FuelCell Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: FCEL, news, msgs) announced the award of
contracts for two new power plants using the company's Direct FuelCells(R)
(DFC(R)) for coal mine and remote location applications. The first contract
is for a $5.4 million project with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) for the design, construction and
operation of a 250 kW DFC, utilizing coal mine methane gas, at the Harrison
Mining Corporation coal mine in Cadiz, Ohio. The second contract, for
$100,000, is from the U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center in
Groton, Connecticut for a remote location, 3 kW fuel cell power system, using
methanol for fuel. It is scheduled to be installed during the second quarter
of 2001 at the Cape Henry Lighthouse at Fort Story, near Virginia Beach, VA.
Coal Mine Methane: Cost-Free Fuel Reduces Emissions
FuelCell Energy was selected for the coal mine methane emission reduction
project to demonstrate the ability of the DFC to generate electricity, using
coal mine methane emissions that otherwise escape into the atmosphere. Costs
for the three-year program will be shared equally by the DOE and FuelCell
Energy. As a result, in addition to the environmental benefits of reducing
emissions, the cost of electricity produced from coal mine methane is reduced
by using a fuel that is essentially free.
"The DOE has been supporting the development of fuel cells for more than two
decades," said Mark C. Williams, fuel cell product manager for NETL. "This
application to coal mine methane effectively combines efficient power
generation with a solution to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions."
According to FuelCell Energy, 75% of the world's coal mine methane emissions
from active and abandoned coal mines comes from the top six countries with
coal mining operations. A total of approximately 1,000 megawatts of fuel cell
power could be generated using coal mine methane from the two sources. The
U.S., alone, has approximately 300 megawatts of unutilized coal mine methane
capacity. At an estimated $1,000 kW, the 1,000 MW worldwide potential for
FuelCell Energy fuel cell power plants is equivalent to a $1.0 billion
market.
"The use of coal mine methane to power Direct FuelCells will result in
benefits for all concerned," said Jerry D. Leitman, president and CEO of
FuelCell Energy. "Coal mine methane is a greenhouse gas which can be
remediated. By using it to fuel a DFC power plant, a customer turns a
liability into an asset that gets rid of a polluting gas and produces
electric power in an environmentally responsible fashion. An important
milestone for the company is to identify prospective early-adopter markets.
The coal mine methane market provides a virtually free fuel source to operate
the fuel cells, facilitating early adoption by energy users."
Remote Power: Clean Energy Where the Wires End
The U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center has awarded FuelCell
Energy a $100,000 contract to provide a 3 kW DFC power plant at the Cape
Henry Lighthouse, for a field test at the lighthouse to demonstrate fuel cell
capabilities at remote sites. The Coast Guard operates several hundred
unattended power systems at remote site communication stations, radio
navigation stations, weather stations, and aids to navigation such as
lighthouses, structures, and buoys. Stand alone fuel cell power systems offer
efficiency and environmental advantages for remote site operation. The
methanol fuel allows for simpler, more compact process equipment for FuelCell
Energy's Direct FuelCell plant compared to other fuel sources.
"This demonstration project by FuelCell Energy is the first application of
fuel cells at a remote, unmanned site in a marine environment", said Walt
Lincoln, project manager of the U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development
Center. "We're interested in the potential of the fuel cell because of its
promise of reduced maintenance and greater reliability compared to other
systems."
"In addition to the unattended applications for the Coast Guard, there are
other potential remote power applications in operation around the world, such
as pipeline monitoring, microwave relay stations, and numerous other
communications and recreational uses that could be served by fuel cells,"
said Leitman.
Using carbonate fuel cell technology, the DFC(R) power plant produces high
efficiency energy through an electro-chemical reaction, rather than through
combustion. This method of producing power gives energy users the option of
producing electricity on site with the assurance of lower emissions, less
noise and with shorter timeframes required for the permitting process.
About FuelCell Energy, Inc.
FuelCell Energy, Inc. - www.fce.com - formerly Energy Research Corp., is a
leading developer of carbonate fuel cell technology for stationary power
generation. The Company's Direct FuelCell technology eliminates external fuel
processing to extract hydrogen from a hydrocarbon fuel. This results in a
product whose cost, combined with high efficiency, simplicity and
reliability, results in product advantages for stationary power generation.
FuelCell Energy, based in Danbury, CT is developing Direct FuelCell(R) power
plants with nominal ratings of 300 kW, 1.5 MW and 3 MW.. The Company has been
developing DFC(R) technology for stationary power plants with the U.S.
Department of Energy through the National Energy Technology Laboratory
(NETL). The NETL's advanced fuel cell research program is focused on
developing a new generation of high performance fuel cells that can generate
clean electricity at power stations or in distributed locations near the
customer, including hospitals, schools, data centers and other commercial and
industrial applications.