Powering your plant
with stationary
hydrogen fuel cells
Funding, grid parity, application
are determining factors
A fuel cell, an electrochemical device that combines hydrogen fuel and oxygen from the air to produce electricity, heat, and water, powers
operations at Pepperidge Farm, Bloomfield, Conn. Photo courtesy of FuelCell Energy, Danbury, Conn.
By John DeGaspari,
Contributing Writer
Stationary fuel cells increasingly have been making their way into commercial and institutional facilities. As an environmentally friendly
power source, fuel cells are reliable,
provide a consistent voltage output,
run on various fuels, and produce both
electricity and heat. Those advantages
have led to stationary fuel cell installations in retail stores, telecommunication facilities, hospitals, and schools.
Far fewer examples exist of stationary fuel cells in manufacturing facilities,
although energy experts see potential
there as well. Whether or not an indus-
trial facility is a good match depends
on public funding and energy costs in a
particular region, as well as the way the
manufacturing plant uses the energy.
Fuel Cells Gain Traction
Proponents say that stationary fuel cell
technology is an under-the-radar option
whose time has arrived. Scott Samu-
elsen, director of the National Fuel Cell
Research Center, Irvine, Calif., and co-
chair of the California Stationary Fuel
Cell Collaborative, Sacramento, Calif.,
notes that fuel cells are a reliable way
to complement the power grid and to
provide continuing power to critical cir-
cuits if the grid power is disrupted. He
said fuel cells can reduce operating
costs by providing a way to recover and
reuse waste heat. When combined with
appropriate power electronics, a fuel
cell installation can mitigate voltage
sags and harmonics that are harmful to
electronic equipment.
