These fuel cells are manufactured in Torrington, CT and assembled in Europe at the FuelCell Energy manufacturing facility located in Taufkirchen, Germany.
“The superior electrical efficiency, ultra-low criteria pollution emissions (NOx, SOx, PM) and low noise profile compared with engines and turbines make the SureSource sub-MW systems an ideal technology for commercial and retail sectors in Europe,” said Jennifer Arasimowicz, Interim President & Chief Commercial Officer. “We are excited to expand our presence and use of fuel cell solutions in Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, Benelux, France and Spain distributed power generation markets.”
Increasing government initiatives and motivation under a new renewable heat incentive policy are the key drivers in Europe, one of the fastest growing regions in the fuel cell technology market. Recent improvements on SureSource fuel cell stack-life reduces maintenance costs, improving the economics of smaller projects. The SureSource 250 and 400 can run directly on biogas. Thus, small wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) that generate anaerobic digester gas (ADG) can host these fuel cell systems to generate renewable energy and heat without pollutants and particulate matter. In addition to WWTPs, FuelCell Energy’s fuel cell solutions benefit additional biomass markets such as breweries, biomass plants and landfills by producing baseload renewable power, eliminating the NOx, Sox and PM produced by conventional small combined heat and power plants.
“We are happy to see FuelCell Energy re-entering the sub-MW distributed power generation market with its 250 and 400 kW carbonate fuel cells,” said Alexander Fenzl, Country Head B2B Solutions Germany, E.ON Business Solutions. “Their high electrical efficiency and ultra-low criteria pollutant emissions make them a good fit for our business and our ambition to help decarbonize the industrial and commercial sectors in Germany and other EU countries.”
SureSource power plants deliver energy efficiently, reliably and economically where it is needed – without harmful emissions. In Germany, the sub-MW SureSource systems receive a 60% reduction on the EEG (“Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz“) surcharge, making it more competitive when compared to the electric grid. The first SureSource 400 installation started its operation at the Radisson Hotel in Frankfurt in January 2018 and has shown an availability greater than 90%. This plant is operated by FuelCell Energy Solutions, GmbH under a 10 year Power Purchase Agreement and owned by E.ON.
SureSource™ power plants solve energy, environmental and business-related power generation challenges by providing ultra-clean, efficient and reliable distributed power generation. The fuel cells combine a fuel such as renewable biogas, directed biogas or clean natural gas with oxygen from the ambient air to efficiently produce ultra-clean electricity and usable high quality heat via an electrochemical process. Customers benefit with operating cost reductions delivered in a manner that supports sustainability goals and enhances power reliability. With high availability and capacity factors, fuel cell power plants make meaningful contributions to Renewable Portfolio Standard targets.
