Leaders of the Fuel Cell Pack

[OKIsItJustMe]

(Please note, US Department of Energy article. Copyright concerns are nil.)
http://energy.gov/articles/leaders-fuel-cell-pack

[font face=Times, Times New Roman, Serif][font size=5]Leaders of the Fuel Cell Pack[/font]

February 17, 2012 - 10:32am

Sunita Satyapal
Program Manager, Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Technology Program

[font size=3]What do WalMart, Coca-Cola, Sysco, and Whole Foods have in common?

They’re leading the pack when it comes to hydrogen and fuel cells.

The Energy Department’s "Business Case for Fuel Cells 2011" report illustrates how top American companies are using fuel cells in their business operations to advance their sustainability goals, save millions of dollars in electricity costs, and reduce carbon emissions by hundreds of thousands of metric tons per year.

The report profiles 34 companies and highlights how they incorporate fuel cell technologies into their business models. According to the report, in the last year, profiled companies used more than 250 fuel cells totaling 30+ MW of stationary power -- enough to supply electricity for over 21,000 households. In addition, companies in the report purchased or deployed more than 240 fuel cells at telecommunication sites and more than 1,030 fuel cell-powered lift trucks.

Walmart, Coca-Cola, Sysco, and Whole Foods are leading the pack:

· Walmart -- 6.8 MW for CHP (17 stores) and 70+ forklifts
· Coca-Cola -- 2.1 MW (4 locations) and 70+ forklifts
· Sysco Corporation -- 600+ forklifts at several locations, one hundred more on order
· Whole Foods Market -- 1.2 MW (4 stores) and 60+ forklifts

So how do these companies deploy fuel cell technologies in their daily operations? Many use fuel cells as a cost-saving alternative to power lift trucks in their warehouses and distribution centers. The Department’s analysis of fuel cell-powered lift trucks deployed via the Recovery Act concludes that fuel cells provide eight times lower refueling/recharging labor cost and two times lower net present value of total system cost compared to batteries.

In addition, Combined Heat and Power systems are another attractive application of fuel cell technologies. When fuel cells generate electricity they give off waste heat. In a combined heat and power system, the waste heat is captured for a wide variety of applications, including space heating and hot water.

You can read more about how fuel cells are beneficially impacting these companies’ bottom line while further promoting the use of clean energy technologies by checking out the report.
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[madokie]

1. Fuel Cells are intriguing

When it comes right down to it we're wasting as much energy as we're using, or close to it. My gut feeling is anyway. A lot of heat energy is simply going to waste.

[OKIsItJustMe]

4. We’re wasting more energy than we’re using

A coal plant or a nuclear plant produces about twice as much “waste heat” as usable electricity.

[madokie]

5. Because of greed mostly

Too much emphasis is put on the bottom line. The worst part is the ones who have some have way too much and the ones who have little have nothing.

[OKIsItJustMe]

6. It’s more because of physics

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fossil-fuel_power_station#Heat_into_mechanical_energy

[madokie]

7. Well that too

what I mean is that instead of trying to figure out how to improve the efficiency of a coal plant they are simply running away with the loot. Is there not fluids that boil at a lower temperature than water that could be used in a closed cycle that would turn turbines to extract more energy to further reduce the temperature of the cooling water that is otherwise wasted?
I have to admit that the only thing hot I get around is my welder so I'm hardly a good source of info on wasted energy.
Peace

[OKIsItJustMe]

8. Somewhat more efficient coal plants can be built

http://www.euractiv.com/energy/analysis-efficiency-coal-fired-power-stations-evolution-prospects/article-154672

…

According to Energie-Fakten, coal amounted to 23% of the global energy sources in 2002, using 3.4 billion tonne coal equivalents (tCE), the major part of which (2.8 billions tCE) produced 7000 billions kWh of electricity. Nowadays, with a world average efficiency of around 31%, coal-fired power stations is said to compare favorably with the upper range of any other power generation technology.

Nevertheless, there remains significant potential to reduce consumption and CO2 emissions in many areas, the author underlines. In the EU-15, the future need for an additional 100,000 MW new capacity and replacement of 200,000 MW existing capacity in the upcoming 20 years should be seen as a unique opportunity for further developments in coal generation technology, says Schilling.

In that perspective, H-D. Schilling lists the most relevant options:

• Going on with increasing steam parameters ;
• Development of CO2 sequestration techniques in order to overcome large storage difficulties ;
• Combination of coal gasification (with steam generation) and coal combustion, in order to use the advantages of gas turbines
• Direct combination with coal combustion under pressure – targeting 60% efficiency

While experiments in those directions are in their infancy, and still encounter major technical difficulties, Energie-Fakten considers it feasible "to have 55% efficiency available for the necessary replacement and addition of coal-fired power capacity."

[Yo_Mama]

2. Thanks for posting

This and the other tech articles. I don't comment much but I do read most of your posts with great interest, and I just wanted to thank you for your contributions and let you know that they aren't ignored.

[OKIsItJustMe]

3. Thanks Mama

Sometimes I wonder…