Fuel cell technologies have come a long ways over the last
decade and are now rapidly increasing their market share across a variety of
power applications, from onboard vehicle power plants using PEM (proton
exchange membrane) designs, to large-scale, multi-megawatt utility power for
grid-connected or independent use, using designs like DFCs (direct fuel cells)
and high-temperature SOFCs (solid oxide fuel cells). The larger scale
applications still have the most room to grow out of the overall fuel cell
market and cutting-edge designs using versatile DFC and SOFC approaches are
becoming increasingly attractive for building highly localized power plants
that can take advantage of nearby fuel sources, as well as nearby power demand.
A recent report by global market research and consulting
company MarketsandMarkets on the fuel cell technology industry’s outlook,
estimates that the space will grow at an extremely healthy CAGR of 14.7% over
the next four years alone, nearly doubling from roughly $2.61 billion last
year, to over $5.20 billion by 2019. MarketsandMarkets also noted in their
report that the stationary power generation segment was going to be a major
source of growth for the overall market, due in large part to tight form factors
making these solutions ideal for localized electrical generation, even in rough
terrain, as well as a distinctly advantageous ability to run off various fuel
types.
The market for stationary fuel cell power generation located
in immediate proximity to corporate offices, as well as plants and
manufacturing facilities, is expected to help drive the growing trend towards
grid decentralization. Both as a means of increasing efficiency through
reduction of transmission and distribution losses, and as a way of curbing grid
failure downtime via the adoption of highly localized supply and consumption
metrics. On-site power using smaller scale generation will likely become a
dominant trend over the next decade as more and more entities, particularly in
the thriving Asia-Pacific region, move to produce reliable, clean energy
themselves, instead of relying on an overtaxed grid.
Of course, grid-connected fuel cell power plants will
continue to also be a key feature of the market moving forward and the
Asia-Pacific region is seen as being the largest value generator for such
applications. Japan and South Korea are some of the biggest contenders here and
the recent completion of the largest fuel cell power plant on earth, the 59 MW
Gyeonggi Green Energy Park in Hwasung City, South Korea is a shining example of
how far large-scale fuel cell power has come. The LNG-fuelled plant uses 21
FuelCell Energy (NASDAQ:FCEL, $1.36/share) Direct Fuel Cell (DFC3000) units
(2.8 MW each) and because the overall footprint is so small, it is seen as the
perfect model to roll out fuel cell generation solutions across the largely
hilly terrain that makes up so much of energy-intensive South Korea.
FCEL’s DFC plants use carbonate (potassium and lithium
electrolyte) fuel cells and can generate clean power from even diesel fuel and
coal gas, being capable of internally reforming hydrogen from the source fuel.
FuelCell Energy is hard at work advancing SOFC technology as well, which has
significant advantages like very high electrical efficiency and the ability to
provide substantial, easily utilized waste heat for CHP (combined heat and
power) applications.
One of the companies already deeply entrenched in the SOFC
game is Dominovas Energy (OTCQB:DNRG, $0.05/share), whose Fuel Cell Division has
developed the RUBICON™ Series of multi-megawatt SOFCs, which boast greater than
50% fuel-to-electricity efficiency and are extremely fuel-flexible, being able
to generate electricity from almost any of the hydrocarbon fuels. From diesel,
natural gas, LNG, propane, ethanol and methanol, to bio-derived fuels and pure
hydrogen, RUBICON offers fuel-flexible, cost-effective and clean electricity
generation with significantly reduced emissions. Moreover, the RUBICON series
integrates a desulfurizer, reformer and a number of heat exchangers directly
into its fuel processor, reforming hydrocarbon fuels with steam prior to
reaching the plant’s SOFC anode. RUBICON thus avoids coking and sulfur
poisoning issues, a capability which is further enhanced by active tuning of
key parameters like the steam to carbon ratio, current density, and
temperature.
The company has also partnered with well-established global
vehicle component manufacturer and electric, powertrain, thermal and safety
solutions provider, Delphi Automotive PLC’s (NYSE:DLPH, $ 77.88/share)
subsidiary, Delphi Automotive Systems, to jointly develop new innovations in
SOFC. Adapting and incorporating Delphi’s own SOFC stack technology, while
providing Delphi with the opportunity to further flesh out their fuel cell
technology for stationary power applications, is a huge advantage for Dominovas
Energy, which also grants them access to the sprawling international markets
already opened up by Delphi’s existing footprint.
To learn more about the company, visit www.dominovasenergy.com
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