FuelCell Energy’s Asian distributor, Marubeni, has sold a one megawatt (MW) Direct FuelCell power plant to provide electric power and high-quality heat for a Sharp production facility in Japan that manufactures advanced flatscreen TVs.
The DFC power plant will provide Sharp’s Kameyama manufacturing facility with a portion of its base load electricity needs and supply heat byproduct for air conditioning by means of absorption chilling. The Kameyama factory, situated in the Mie prefecture, occupies 3.5 million square feet (330,000 square meters) and hosts end-to-end production of LCD TVs – construction of the LCD panels through final product assembly. Sharp estimates its share of the market for LCD panels is over 30 percent worldwide.
“This is our first international megawatt-class installation, showing growing acceptance in Japan of our larger ultra-clean DFC power plants,” said R. Daniel Brdar, President and CEO of FuelCell Energy. “The manufacturing sector, one of the 10 vertical markets we continue to target, demands the efficient and firm, 24/7 reliable power generation that our DFC units deliver.”
The 1 MW DFC power plant will be part of a green onsite generation power system in which the fuel cells will provide base load power, and a photovoltaic array will provide peaking power. The combined heat and power (CHP) application of the DFC power plant is expected to reduce the Kameyama factory’s CO2 emissions by 2,300 tons. Because the plant integrates LCD manufacturing with assembly, Sharp eliminated the need to transport LCD panels between locations, reducing the need for interim packaging material and further lowering CO2 and NO2 emitted by transport vehicles.
“With eight installations in Japan since 2003, and with ratification of the Kyoto Protocol earlier this year, Marubeni has seen a greater commitment from Japanese industrial companies for fuel cell applications to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Mamoru Sekiyama, Corporate Senior Vice President and COO, Plant, Power & Infrastructure Projects Division of Marubeni.
Installation of the DFC power plant is expected to be complete by second calendar quarter of 2006. The unit will operate on liquefied natural gas — supplied via a newly installed 17- kilometer pipeline from Toho Gas. The pipeline eliminates the need for LNG tanker truck transportation of fuel, reducing emissions associated with the delivery vehicles. C-Energy, a subsidiary company of Chubu Electric, will own the equipment and sell the power and heat output to Sharp. Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) is providing a subsidy.
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