No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
M assachusetts-based Acumentrics exhibited a solid oxide fuel cell, home energy combined heat and power (CHP) appliance at the recent Hannover Fair in Germany.
The company's AHEAD micro-CHP generates heat and electricity directly from natural gas or propane. The device provides 1 kW nominal, 2.5 kW peak -enough electricity to power the average home, with peaks being handled by the grid or batteries. Electricity is created electrochemically in an array of solidstate tubes. Excess electricity can be metered back to the grid.
The unit also contains a 'hydronic' boiler that is capable of supplying the heating needs of an average home. This system captures excess energy from the hot fuel cells, and supplements peak thermal loads with a clean, high-efficiency burner, to provide up to 24 kW of thermal output. Compared with conventional technologies, CO 2 emissions are significantly reduced through high conversion efficiencies.
Acumentrics, which develops SOFC products, has so far shipped 30 pre-commercial fuel cell power generators for field trials. The firm says that in addition to being highly efficient (total efficiency >90%), its SOFC systems are able to start and stop quickly (startup 30-60 min), are fuel-flexible and tolerant of repeated thermal cycling. They are also designed to be manufactured inexpensively, by avoiding the use of high-cost catalysts or exotic materials.
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