New fuel cell off-grid power solution to challenge diesel

Gencell A5 unit [image credit: Gencell]

Diesel generators are big business in many rural areas and other players are looking for a slice of the action, claiming various advantages including immunity from fuel theft, as PEI reports.

A new fuel cell solution for primary power applications, launched this week, could compete on price for the first time with diesel gensets, its maker GenCell Energy says.

The Israeli firm said its hydrogen-fuelled A5 unit is designed to provide 24/7 power for off-grid and poor-grid sites and will initially be aimed at the telecom tower market.

It claims a typical telecom provider could save up to $250m across 1000 towers over ten years compared to the cost of diesel generators.

The cost barrier involved with building-out hydrogen fuel infrastructure has long relegated fuel cells to backup power applications. But GenCell says it has reduced system costs to $0.50/kWh by using ammonia to generate hydrogen, which required a redesign of the conventional fuel cell.

“Ammonia is the second most produced inorganic chemical you can find all over world,” said Rami Reshef, GenCell’s CEO. “We’ve developed a process that allows us to extract hydrogen from ammonia with ten times the efficiency of other solutions.

“There are different technologies that can extract hydrogen from ammonia, however they consume much more power from the grid than the potential energy you will deliver. Our process allows extraction without any connectivity to the grid.”

And unlike diesel generators, which require monthly fuelling and maintenance at each telecom tower, the company claims that one 12-tonne tank of ammonia provides its system with enough fuel for a year of 24/7 operation.

This week’s product launch “is big news, not just for us,” said Reshef, “but for any business that needs primary power beyond the grid.”

Full report here.