Fuel Cell Generator (Back up system)

[maghazadeh]

Hi All,
I am wondering if anyone has design / install Fuel Cell Generator as a emergency / stand by or back up system.
Please tell me about your experince with this technology.
1) what standard sizes are available in the market?
2) Advantage / disadvantage?
3) what kind of fuel is used to generate hydrogen other than natural gas? in case of crisis like
earth quick / flood, first thing is lost is natural gas and what is other options?
4) Energy efficiency compare to other sources?

Your reply in detail regarding above is appreciated.

 

[iwire]

The company I work for has installed three 400 KW co-generation / standby supply fuel cells in three different locations.

1) None of the three can be used as 'emergency' supplies as they are not listed for that.

2) All three use Natural gas

3) Have not seen an advantage yet, they have failed to pick up the load a number of times.

4) Very technical and lack of many qualified service people seems like it could be a problem during an emergency.

 

[broadgage]

Agree, costly and often less reliable than hoped for.
Systems intended for regular use almost allways run on natural gas.
Some standby only sysytems use hydrogen from a bank of cylinders., the cost of power generated thus is many times that of grid supplies due to the high cost of hydrogen in cylinders.

I would go for lead acid batteries for modest power demands and run times, with diesel generators for large loads or extended run times.

 

[Hv&Lv]

I agree with the others. We have a fuel cell that was "donated" to us for educational purposes(grant money). This system runs from a bank of hydrogen tanks. As Iwire stated, it isn't listed for emergency service, and at an average price of around $8.00 per kWh (fuel cost, not the unit cost) who would want to run one for long?
I am not sure of the natural gas units cost per kWh, but you can bet it is much higher than a diesel or natural gas IC unit listed for emergency service.
I have a feeling the three that IWire's company installed were for State and Federal tax incentives rather than actual savings and emergencies. Some incentives for businesses can be as high as a couple of million.

 

[kingpb]

I believe they are much better suited for continuous operation whereby you are always using them, then you supplement with utility power or have utility power as back-up.

If you operate in parallel and use them as a a source of back-up power when the utility goes out, then you also have to have a load shed scheme so you don't overload your source. Not impossible but better if new install and not a retrofit.

Would have to see the economic analysis to determine cost advantage or disadvantage.

Keep in mind, if they were cheap to use, they would be flying off the shelf, cause it's not a new technology.