FCE power for missile range facility in Hawaii
C onnecticut-based FuelCell Energy has sold a DFC300 molten carbonate power plant to provide electric power and thermal energy at an isolated naval base in Hawaii, where traditional energy sources are expensive and logistically difficult to obtain.
The Direct FuelCell ® (DFC) system is being purchased by FCE's distribution partner LOGANEnergy. LOGAN will own and operate the plant, supplying electricity to the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) on Kauai, a US Navy base. The DFC300 plant, which will provide approximately 36% of PMRF's power, is scheduled for installation by September 2009.
The DFC300 will be used to generate electricity for baseload power, while the high-grade heat it produces will be processed through an adsorption chiller and used for air-conditioning. Because of this combined heat and power feature and the high cost of electricity in Hawaii, the Navy should realize a significant reduction in its power costs.
'We are pleased to have the opportunity to expand our relationship with the Navy, specifically the Naval Air Warfare Weapons Division located in China Lake, California, which has authorized funding for this project,' says Chris Davis, chief operating officer of LOGANEnergy. 'The site that China Lake has selected for this project, the Pacific Missile Range Facility, is an energy-intensive operation and requires absolute reliability 24/7.' Davis adds that while energy is always a challenge in Hawaii, this site is more isolated than most, making grid electricity very expensive. The PMRF plant will run on HD-5 propane, a standard fuel available at PMRF.