Nippon Oil, Sanyo create JV to develop home-use systems
- Publisher
- Elsevier Science
- Year
- 2008
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 61 KB
- Volume
- 2008
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1464-2859
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Fuel cell powers lighthouse in the UK
T he Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) on Teesside in the UK has worked with a group of companies to design and test a PEM fuel cell to provide power for a lighthouse while withstanding harsh coastal conditions.
The historic South Gare lighthouse at the mouth of the River Tees is an exposed and hostile location for a fuel cell. The site is regularly lashed by high winds and rough seas, but the tower, built in 1884, plays a pivotal role in the success of Teesport, one of the UK's three busiest ports.
During the project, CPI collaborated with PD Ports, which runs Teesport, and Pelangi International Ltd, a marine engineering company that maintains the lighthouse and its systems. It also worked with Schunk, which manufactured the fuel cell stack, and Air Products, a firm that specializes in hydrogen energy applications.
The hydrogen fuel cell, which is housed in a cabinet attached to the lighthouse, has been running for several months -providing power for a system which generates light that can be seen at a distance of 40 km (25 miles) from the coast.
'The use of the fuel cell at South Gare is a big step forward, as we have had to develop a special unit to withstand this demanding location,' says Nigel Perry, chief executive of CPI. 'We have proved at South Gare that fuel cells can operate in critical applications.'