Direct FuelCell-Energy Recovery Generation™ For Natural Gas Pipelines
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 11.11.06
If you’re not an engineer or a physical scientist you may want to skip this post. If you’re a ‘fuel cell skeptic,’ you should probably go for the full story here, regardless. Bottom line for you skeptics: companies like FuelCell Energy and their customers and partners are investing big bucks in commercial fuel cells that have little to do with cars and everything to do with improving societal energy efficiency. As a result of this technology, natural gas furnaces and boilers will have a better life cycle efficiency. Technology highlights: "The new product, the Direct FuelCell-Energy Recovery Generation™ (DFC-ERG™) system, combines a 1.2 megawatt (MW) Direct FuelCell® (DFC®) power plant with a 1 MW unfired gas expansion turbine. Operating at natural gas pipeline letdown stations, the system generates 2.2 megawatts (MW) of ultra-clean electricity...Availability of the hybrid power plant is expected to be in the third calendar quarter of 2007. Enbridge's research has identified 40-60 MW of opportunities for the DFC-ERG system in just one of its operating areas. The North American market represents another 200-300 MW, consisting of the half dozen U.S. states currently seeking to add fuel cells' environmental attributes to their Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS)".
It's not that us skeptics are skeptical of fuel cells, it's more that we are skeptical of HYDROGEN fueled fuel cells.
Lots of other ways to skin that cat. Lots of different (and sustainable) fuels to hitch this cart too.
For combined heat and power, a fuel cell is a smart and clean choice.
=== author's response follows ====
This does run on hydrogen. But reformation occurs "on the fly", hence no H2 storage needed .