By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Feb. 18 -- The German energy firm EnBW Energie Baden-Wurttemberg AG has begun operation of a direct fuel cell (DFC) power plant at a Michelin tire plant in Karlsruhe, Germany.
The plant, which will supply both electricity and process steam for tire vulcanization at the site, was built by DaimlerChrysler AG subsidiary MTU CFC Solutions GMBH. Danbury, Conn.-based FuelCell Energy Inc. manufactured the fuel cells for incorporation into the power plant known as the "hot module."
Direct fuel cells currently generate electricity at both commercial and industrial facilities. At an event in Karlsruhe Feb. 7, MTU officials noted that other such "hot modules" are in use in various European operations: at a De Te-Immobilien und Service GMBH facility in Munich; at a IPF Heizkraftwerksbetriebsgesellschaft plant at Otto von Guericke University in Magdeburg; at a RWE-DEA AG facility in Essen; at a Rhon-Klinikum AG hospital in Bad Neustadt/Saal; and at an IZAR Construcciones Navales SA facility in Cartagena, Spain.
MTU officials discussed demand for fuel cell-powered cogeneration plants in the existing market and also the anticipated expanding market potential, FuelCell Energy said.
Worldwide, fuel cell power plants address such energy issues as "pollution, grid congestion, and the ability to site power plants closer to user demand," said Jerry D. Leitman, president and CEO of FuelCell Energy.
"Our DFCs internally generate hydrogen from natural gas and other fuels and do not have to wait for the creation of the hydrogen infrastructure, we believe our DFC power plant products for commercial and industrial customers will be the first broadly accepted fuel cell products."
Direct fuel cells are like "large, continuously operating batteries that generate electricity as long as fuel, such as natural gas, is supplied," said FuelCell Energy. "Since the fuel is not burned, there is no pollution commonly associated with the combustion of fossil fuels. The. . .efficiency leads to the generation of more electric power from less fuel and with less carbon dioxide emission. When operating on biomass fuels, such as wastewater treatment digester gas, the direct fuel cell is a renewable technology," the company said.
