FuelCell Energy, Inc. (Nasdaq: FCEL) announced the sale of a 300 kilowatt (kW) Direct FuelCell (DFC) power plant to Barksdale Air Force Base (AFB) in Louisiana.
The DFC power plant was purchased by Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC), under contract with the United States Air Force Advanced Power Technology Office (APTO). CTC will provide research, design, development, testing, demonstration, and Maintenance of the 300 kW carbonate fuel cell system. The system is expected to be operational in early 2010.
The U.S. government is the largest electricity consumer in the world, with thousands of government buildings and military facilities in the U.S. and abroad. As the government continues to deploy efficient DFC power plants, it hopes to reduce its emissions and peak power requirements while increasing power reliability.
DFC fuel cell power plants generate power electrochemically, without combustion, producing near-zero air pollutants like NOX, SOX and particulate matter. FuelCell Energy’s power plants generate baseload electricity 24/7 with 47% electrical efficiency, compared to 25 to 40% for combustion-based technology their size. When used in a combined heat and power application where the fuel cell’s byproduct heat is being used for hot water or for space heating, DFC power plants can achieve up to 80% system efficiency. This efficiency results in significantly reduced carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and lower power costs.
DFC power plants increase energy reliability and security because they operate locally independent of the grid.
FuelCell Energy is a leader in the development and production of stationary fuel cells for commercial, industrial, municipal and utility customers.
On Wednesday the Department of Energy announced $41.9 million in funding to boost the market for fuel cells in the U.S.
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