World's largest hydrogen fuel cell generator leaving British Columbia, headed for U.S. (See video!)
Written by Dan Comand August 11, 2010
It’s the size of a tractor trailer, it’s on wheels
and completely transportable, with the capacity to power a small town.
And now the world’s largest hydrogen fuel cell, one of the world’s
cleanest and greenest sources of energy, will soon be on its way from
Burnaby, B.C., to Eastlake, Ohio for a five year trial run, the first
ever deployment of its kind.
-
The deal between Ballard Power Systems and Ohio’s FirstEnergy Generation Corp
will allow the U.S. utility to activate this fuel cell generator -
known as CLEARgen and based on Ballard’s proton exchange membrane (PEM)
technology - during periods of peak demand, taking strain off the power
grid and ensuring uninterrupted power to customers during the summer
when demand is highest. The fuel cell system is capable of generating up
to one megawatt of power - enough to power 500 homes on its own.
“It’s a huge leap forward and a significant first for Ballard,” said Michael Goldstein, Ballard’s Chief Commercial Officer. “More importantly, we believe this deal helps ensure that fuel cell technology will be an integral part of the clean energy solution identified as a priority by President Obama.”
CLEARgen Trailer - Exterior
Because fuel cells use hydrogen to generate electricity - producing only heat and water as by-products - they are a far more environmentally-friendly means of generating power than diesel or coal. And because the Ballard generator is transportable, it can be relocated to other sites on a seasonal basis.
Not only is Ballard’s CLEARgen useful for utilities, it can also provide a clean energy solution to remote communities in Canada and around the world, which are too far from the electrical grid and forced to rely on noisy, dirty diesel generators for power.
CLEARgen Trailer - Interior
It’s also capable of running off by-product hydrogen from chemical plants to generate clean electricity for sale to the power grid or to power the plant. That’s exactly what Ballard will now be doing with K2 Pure Solutions at their bleach plant in California.
Ballard fuel cells are also powering zero-emission bus fleets, providing backup power solutions to cell phone companies in Canada and around the world and powering fleets of forklift trucks at major distribution centres.
www.ballard.com
www.firstenergycorp.com
Alternative Energy News, Recommended For You
Tesla cruises into Canada
Tesla Video and other news
GM gives Chevrolet Volt 100,000 mile warranty
Nissan Leaf available for $8,500 incentive in Ontario
Exclusive look at Nissan Leaf (Video)
Latest from Dan Comand
- WEG Automation Fault Analyzer for iPhone, Android and Blackberry
- Two auto industry majors honor KUKA Systems for supplier excellence
- Creaform introduces C-Link for faster and easier inspection of complex parts
- Mitsubishi Electric Automation debuts dedicated packaging website
- Québec's aerospace sector honours its commitment to encouraging students to stay in school
|
|
|
Featured Videos
-
Philip Harting, senior vice president of Harting Inc., spoke with DPN editorial director Mike Edwards at last week's Hannover Messe 2012. Harting spoke about the importance of the annual trade fair, the emergence of his company on the global stage, the need for corporate governance on carbon dioxide emissions and on Harting energy management technologies.
-
See Video...
Harting has launched its RJ Industrial 10G Ethernet connector. Rated IP20 for the office IT environment, the lockable, 8-wire RJ45 requires no tools or expertise to assemble. An angled version is also available.
-
See Video...
With Creo 2.0, PTC has introduced a new role-specific app supporting modular product design that extends how organizations can approach concept design, and is said to deliver significant productivity enhancements to its existing Creo apps. Raphael Nascimento, PTC product management manager, explains.
-
See Video...
The live video signal from a Pepperl+Fuchs LS680 Ethernet optical data coupler on an automated storage and retrieval system can be used to correctly position the pallet within minutes from a remote location like a control room.
-
See Video...
Demonstration of SpaceClaim Engineer 2012, a multi-purpose 3D CAD tool that performs direct modeling operations on parts and assemblies.
-
See Video...
At Hannover Messe 2012, Andre Brauers, Turck Industrial Automation product manager for linear position sensors, encoders and inclinometers, describes the latest in rotary position sensing technology.
Popular Articles
