Fuel Cell Trial to Hit U.K. Households
by Mairi Beautyman, Berlin, Germany on 03.23.06
Lately, fuel cells have seen more progress on the transportation front—but maybe the technology is just gathering force in the power industry. Yesterday, The Independent informed us of a £2.7m fuel cell deal between fuel company Ceres Power and BG (British Gas), which could jumpstart the idea in the U.K. The deal will fund fuel cell CHP units for trial homeowners, who are expected to save hundreds of pounds annually, according to the article, after they replace their boilers with the “combined heat and power” product, manufactured by Ceres.
Fuel cells run on hydrogen and oxygen, and create useable electrical current, heat and water vapor. Instead of taking electricity from a centralized system, homeowners using the cells produce their own power. As a result, far less carbon dioxide is produced. Ceres chief executive Peter Bance tells us the unit will not cost much more than a conventional boiler, and will run on regular natural gas. He also predicts a future where “most UK households will have their own power stations.” Currently, the product is only available via a trial basis, and there's no word on when it will be open to all British Gas customers. ::The Independent ::Ceres Power ::British Gas
