Jessica Cheam
A HOME-GROWN firm has cracked the secret to using hydrogen fuel cells for power – at a lower cost and using renewable biomass to boot.
Real Time Engineering (RTE) this week officially launched its fuel-cell power plant technology. It converts biomass such as sawdust, palm oil, fruit peels or plant waste into electricity – also known as ‘waste-to-energy’.
RTE is behind the 1MW hydrogen power plant powering industrial landlord JTC Corporation’s CleanTech One building.
JTC’s $90 million building, which incorporates state-of-the-art green features like solar energy systems and sky gardens, will offer office space that can house up to 50 green businesses when it is completed by the end of the year.
The power plant, which was incubated at Temasek Polytechnic’s (TP) Clean Energy Research Centre in Tampines for three years, is the fruit of a collaboration between researchers from both sides.
TP provided the engineering know- how to put together the fuel-cell power plant, while RTE developed a unique catalyst that enables hydrogen to be extracted from biomass at a low cost.
Hydrogen fuel cells work by converting the chemical energy of hydrogen into electricity and water. It has been tipped as a key clean energy of the future as global fossil fuel resources dwindle and the world looks to cleaner sources.
These sources, such as solar and wind energy, are vital as they do not emit large amounts of carbon dioxide, which scientists blame for causing climate change, compared with fossil-based fuels.
In a demonstration of a smaller 100- kilowatt system, tomato juice is fed into a reactor, where a catalyst converts it into hydrogen, carbon and water. The extracted hydrogen is used to power the fuel cell, which in turn produces electricity. Potable water and synthetic crude oil are produced as separate by-products.
This synthetic crude, which can be collected and sold to refineries for processing into transport fuel, is so-called ‘carbon neutral’, as it is produced from renewable biomass and can replace fossil- based fuels used in transport vehicles.
RTE managing director Philip Wong, the project’s overall orchestrator, and Dr Wang Chi Sheng from Taiwan’s National Cheng Kung University, designed and tested the system for six years before it reached commercialisation this year. Dr Wang is known for inventing the ‘plasma reformer’ – a process that breaks chemical bonds – which is patented worldwide.
But their plant would not have been possible without the collaboration of TP, which helped to design and integrate the fuel cells into the system, said Mr Wong.
TP’s clean-energy centre director Gareth Tang said its research engineers built up its fuel-cell system design and integration over the years. ‘The deep technical know-how in fuel-cell materials, design and controls were applied by our engineers and researchers in this project.’
The centre, set up in 2007 with funding from the Economic Development Board, conducts research and development into clean technology – marked as a pillar of growth for Singapore’s economy.
Mr Wong puts the cost of a 1MW fuel- cell power plant, which has a life cycle of 20 years, at US$10 million (S$12.4 million). It takes 18 to 24 months to design, build and install one such plant.
The break-even period of this investment is three to five years, and the firm is in talks with organisations across Asia to set up four more power plants, he said. ‘Some other advantages of this system are that it’s reliable with no risk of blackouts, and it is not intermittent, unlike other sources such as solar or wind which depend on the elements for power.’
The cost of the power generated is competitive, even compared to national grid prices in many countries, he added.
RTE’s efforts in fuel-cell power technology were recognised when it won the Prime Minister’s Enterprise Challenge Prize in 2009.
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This article was first published by the Straits Times on 18 June 2011. Photo courtesy of Epiphytic.com.
I just realised that RTE is actually using the 1.25 megawatts (MW) variant of the FCgen(R)-1300 fuel cell product from Ballard Power Systems.
Source: http://www.ballard.com/about-ballard/newsroom/news-releases/news12201001.aspx
• Fuel cell stacks will be integrated in distributed generation (DG) system
• This is an important first step into the commercial DG market in Asia
For Immediate Release – December 20, 2010
VANCOUVER, CANADA– Ballard Power Systems (TSX: BLD; NASDAQ: BLDP) today announced the sale of 1.25 megawatts (MW) of the Company’s FCgen®-1300 fuel cell product, together with engineering support services, to Real Time Engineering PTE Ltd. (RTE), a Singapore-based system integrator. RTE intends to produce a 1MW distributed power generator for deployment in Singapore.
“We are pleased to be working with RTE, a committed player in the Asian clean technology community,” said Michael Goldstein, Ballard’s Chief Commercial Officer. “RTE will be an excellent partner to help us bring Ballard’s proprietary fuel cell technology to the Asian multi-megawatt distributed generation market.”
Ballard’s FCgen®-1300 fuel cell stack is a low-cost, liquid-cooled product specifically designed for stationary applications. Product deliveries to RTE will begin this year, with commissioning of the 1MW fuel cell generator targeted for 2012. Additional fuel cell stacks will be maintained by RTE as spare inventory.
The 1MW generator will be deployed at a new Singapore industrial development site and used in a base load application. RTE will build-own-operate the equipment under a power purchase agreement with the end-user. Hydrogen fuel will be produced on-site using bio-mass as the energy feedstock, making this a clean solution on a “well-to-wheels” basis.
Philip Wong, Managing Director of Real Time Engineering added, “Ballard’s fuel cell product represents the best option for us, in terms of load-following capability, reliability and price. RTE is excited to be an innovator in bringing truly green and truly clean power to Asia. In fact, we have a number of green power projects in the pipeline today.”
Ballard and RTE plan to collaborate over the next several years, with the intention of selling and supporting additional fuel cell power generators in the growing Asian market. Asian economies are growing at four-times the pace of OECD member countries, which is driving an increased requirement for power as well as a growing concern for the environment. Asia currently accounts for 40% of global CO2 emissions.
About Ballard Power Systems
Ballard Power Systems (TSX: BLD; NASDAQ: BLDP) provides clean energy fuel cell products enabling optimized power systems for a range of applications. To learn more about Ballard, please visit http://www.ballard.com.
This release contains forward-looking statements, including expected product deliveries, market growth, competitiveness, customer product deployment and collaborations, which are provided to enable external stakeholders to understand Ballard’s expectations as at the date of this release and may not be appropriate for other purposes. These forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs and assumptions of Ballard’s management and reflect Ballard’s current expectations as contemplated under section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such assumptions relate to Ballard’s financial forecasts and expectations regarding its product development efforts, manufacturing capacity, and market demand, and include matters such as generating new sales, producing, delivering and selling the expected number of units, and controlling its costs.
These statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause Ballard’s actual results to be materially different, including, without limitation, the condition of the global economy, the rate of mass adoption of its products, product development delays, changing environmental regulations, its ability to attract and retain business partners and customers, its access to funding, increased competition, its ability to protect its intellectual property, changes in its customers’ requirements, foreign exchange impacts on its net monetary assets and its ability to provide the capital required for product development, operations and marketing. For a detailed discussion of these risk factors and other risk factors that could affect Ballard’s future performance, please refer to Ballard’s most recent Annual Information Form.
Readers should not place undue reliance on Ballard’s forward-looking statements and Ballard assumes no obligation to update or release any revisions to these forward looking statements, other than as required under applicable legislation.
Further Information
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