Fuel Cell Cogeneration Systems - Coming Soon to a Home Near You?
Fuel cells have been one of the "next big things" for decades. Residential fuel cell cogeneration systems - providing a combination of power and heat from one small unit - have also been promoted for many years. High costs have held them back. But now there are signs that they are about to take off.

One of the big incentives comes from the Japanese government, which is keen to diversify away from expensive gas and electricity. It is promoting the development of fuel cell cogeneration systems with subsidies, and has set a target that 1.2 million residential cogeneration units should be installed by 2010.

As gas prices soar, European countries too are actively promoting cogeneration.

Here is what three companies are doing:

Ballard Power Systems of Canada has a joint venture company in Japan, Ebara Ballard, that is a leader in the supply of residential fuel cell cogeneration systems. It has developed a 1KW product that generates both electricity and hot water, and has been supplying this to Japanese homes since 2005, under the auspices of a Japanese government trial program. The company claims that its systems reduce primary energy consumption by 20-30%, reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 40% and save consumers an average of US$600 per year. According to Ballard, in 2007 it shipped 445 residential cogeneration units, up from 315 in 2006. Its initial target is for a minimum of 400 units in 2008, to be followed by a transition to the early commercial phase in 2009.

Ceramic Fuel Cells of Australia has developed a 2KW residential fuel cell cogeneration system. In February 2008 it announced that it planned to invest 12.4 million euros to build a plant in Germany for commercial production of fuel cell systems. Initial production from June 2009 will be 10,000 units annually, rising eventually to 160,000 units. It also announced that it has received an order from Dutch energy company Nuon for 50,000 fuel cell systems, to be delivered over five years, and subject to performance standards.

Ceres Power of the UK has developed a fuel cell cogeneration unit that it says is capable of producing electricity and meeting all the hot water and central heating needs of the typical British home. It says the unit will reduce household power costs by several hundred pounds annually. In January 2008 Ceres announced that it plans to work with British Gas on field trials and commercial sales of its units for a period up until 2011, followed by sales to British Gas of a minimum of 37,500 units over four years.

March 20th, 2008

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