Fuel Cells Everywhere
Fuel cells come in all shapes and sizes. They are used by companies
for different purposes such as peak load capacity or electrical grid replacement.
For example Toyota Sales and Marketing division headquartered in Torrance, California is installing a one megawatt fuel cell for their 125 acre multi-building campus.
This unit, slated for completion in 2012, will provide electricity during peak hours in addition to utilizing the residual heat from the fuel cell. This fuel cell unit, also called a CHP (Combined Heat and Power), recycles waste heat from electric power generation achieving efficiencies over 85%.
Other companies such as Ebay, Walmart, UPS and others are using fuel cells. These and other corporations are ditching their diesel generators and replacing them with fuel cells for peak power and to remove themselves from the electrical grid.
Thousands of fuel cells have been installed world wide over the past twelve years, primarily for back up power. Many more fuel cells have been installed in locations where downtime is critical such as hospitals and data centers.
Fuel cells can also be found on military installations, remote telecom sites, zoos, and universities. Real estate developers are also installing fuel cells for multi-family units.
In Europe and Asia fuel cell units are used in residential applications for heat and electricity.
Is this realistic and practical for residences in the United States? This is something to think about.
