Fuel cells have emerged as a small but potentially significant piece of the world’s energy puzzle. The U.S. Department of Energy estimated worldwide fuel cell system sales in 2013 at $1.3 billion, the first time the billion-dollar mark had been topped. Stationary power systems with an aggregate capacity of 150 MW were shipped in 2013, a 24% increase over the previous year.
Selling fuel cell power generation remains a tough business. One leading provider-installer-operator, FuelCell Energy Inc. (www.fuelcellenergy.com), stated in its 2014 annual report that its two biggest challenges to growth are reducing the total cost of fuel cells and getting major energy consumers to see the value that fuel-cell technology offers. The company reported net losses in each of its last five fiscal years.
FuelCell Energy is no Johnny-come-lately to this technology. Founded in 1969, the company has installed more than 100 plants operating at more than 50 sites in nine countries. A year ago, it entered into an agreement to install a 1.4-MW fuel cell plant that will provide about 30% of the power needs for the University of California Irvine Medical Center. Because that power will be generated without combustion, its exhaust will be virtually pollution free.
The fuel cell contributes to the site’s energy security, resiliency, and sustainability. Photo courtesy FuelCell Energy
Last November, Microsoft dedicated its $7.6 million zero-carbon data center in Cheyenne, Wyo. The facility draws power from a stationary fuel cell plant that converts biogas from a nearby municipal wastewater treatment facility into electricity. Microsoft, FuelCell Energy, and Siemens engineered and installed the power monitoring equipment for the data center.
Eighteen months ago, FuelCell Energy installed one of its 1.4-MW DFC1500 fuel cell power plants at Central Connecticut State University, in New Britain. The plant’s owner, Greenwood Energy, sells electricity and heat to CCSU under a long-term power purchase agreement. This is Greenwood’s first energy project with FuelCell Energy.
The plant integrates directly into the college’s existing energy infrastructure in a combined heat and power configuration. Rob Gagne, CCSU’s Plant Facilities Manager, says that the heat from the fuel cell plant produces 1,600–2,000 pounds of steam per hour. The steam is circulated across the 165-acre campus through a tunnel network and is used for heating and absorption cooling.
The plant provides about one-third of the 3,500–4,000 kw the university’s 40 buildings consume and cuts its annual electric power costs by $100,000.
Related Stories
| Oct 12, 2010
The Watch Factory, Waltham, Mass.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards — Gold Award. When the Boston Watch Company opened its factory in 1854 on the banks of the Charles River in Waltham, Mass., the area was far enough away from the dust, dirt, and grime of Boston to safely assemble delicate watch parts.
| Oct 12, 2010
Building 13 Naval Station, Great Lakes, Ill.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Gold Award. Designed by Chicago architect Jarvis Hunt and constructed in 1903, Building 13 is one of 39 structures within the Great Lakes Historic District at Naval Station Great Lakes, Ill.
| Oct 12, 2010
Full Steam Ahead for Sustainable Power Plant
An innovative restoration turns a historic but inoperable coal-burning steam plant into a modern, energy-efficient marvel at Duke University.
| Oct 11, 2010
Rhode Island is the first state to adopt IGCC
Rhode Island is the first state to adopt the International Green Construction Code (IGCC). The Rhode Island Green Buildings Act identifies the IGCC as an equivalent standard in compliance with requirements that all public agency major facility projects be designed and constructed as green buildings. The Rules and Regulations to implement the Act take effect in October 2010.
| Oct 8, 2010
Union Bank’S San Diego HQ awarded LEED Gold
Union Bank’s San Diego headquarters building located at 530 B Street has been awarded LEED Gold certification from the Green Building Certification Institute under the standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council. Gold status was awarded to six buildings across the United States in the most recent certification and Union Bank’s San Diego headquarters building is one of only two in California.
| Sep 30, 2010
Luxury hotels lead industry in green accommodations
Results from the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s 2010 Lodging Survey showed that luxury and upper-upscale hotels are most likely to feature green amenities and earn green certifications. Results were tallied from 8,800 respondents, for a very respectable 18% response rate. Questions focused on 14 green-related categories, including allergy-free rooms, water-saving programs, energy management systems, recycling programs, green certification, and green renovation.
| Sep 21, 2010
New BOMA-Kingsley Report Shows Compression in Utilities and Total Operating Expenses
A new report from the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International and Kingsley Associates shows that property professionals are trimming building operating expenses to stay competitive in today’s challenging marketplace. The report, which analyzes data from BOMA International’s 2010 Experience Exchange Report® (EER), revealed a $0.09 (1.1 percent) decrease in total operating expenses for U.S. private-sector buildings during 2009.
| Sep 21, 2010
Forecast: Existing buildings to earn 50% of green building certifications
A new report from Pike Research forecasts that by 2020, nearly half the green building certifications will be for existing buildings—accounting for 25 billion sf. The study, “Green Building Certification Programs,” analyzed current market and regulatory conditions related to green building certification programs, and found that green building remain robust during the recession and that certifications for existing buildings are an increasing area of focus.
| Sep 16, 2010
Gehry’s Santa Monica Place gets a wave of changes
Omniplan, in association with Jerde Partnership, created an updated design for Santa Monica Place, a shopping mall designed by Frank Gehry in 1980.
