UK investment to accelerate introduction of hydrogen, fuel cells

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2011
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 70 KB
• Volume: 2011
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1464-2859
• DOI: 10.1016/s1464-2859(11)70222-x

✦ Synopsis

with the ability to commercialize fuel cell products in large global markets.

'The agreement with VPS strengthens Wärtsilä's ability to provide its customers with clean and highly efficient power solutions,' says Erkko Fontell, director of fuel cells at Wärtsilä. 'Demand is developing rapidly and the commercial potential for such products is very promising.'

Wärtsilä is already running successful pilot projects using fuel cell technology supplied by the Danish SOFC developer Topsoe Fuel Cell, and this cooperation will continue as planned. Since 2008 Wärtsilä has been operating a WFC20 unit on landfill gas to produce electricity and heat in the Finnish city of Vaasa [FCB, March 2010]. Wärtsilä has also developed 50 kW WFC50 power units for internal validation.

Power solutions based on fuel cell technology are expected to offer significant benefits in the shipping industry, where international emissions regulations are becoming increasingly stringent. Last summer, a WFC20 solid oxide unit -operating on methanol -was installed onboard the Wallenius Lines car carrier Undine, for tests within the METHAPU project [FCB, June 2010].