Helion system demos back-up power at CEA

• Book ID: 104436327
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2007
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 71 KB
• Volume: 2007
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1464-2859
• DOI: 10.1016/s1464-2859(07)70296-1

✦ Synopsis

Helion system demos back-up power at CEA F rench-based Helion has now been operating its first 30 kW industrial back-up fuel cell power system directly at a customer's site for nearly a year. The system was installed in time for the inauguration of the new headquarters of the French Commission for Atomic Energy (CEA) in Saclay last July.

This 30 kWe back-up power system, comprising Helion's PEM fuel cell and an inverter, has been set up in real-world operating conditions at the new CEA building. The system guarantees the power supply for a vital part of the CEA offices. Compared with existing solutions using batteries and diesel generators, the system offers notable advantages: a high level of autonomy, no noise, no greenhouse gases, and reliable and rapid startup to supply the required load demand.

After the start-up of its first 20 kWe prototype in November 2005 [FCB, January 2006], this 30 kW system marks a new step in the growth of Helion, an Areva subsidiary specializing in hydrogen energy and fuel cells.