| Big Fuel Cells in Ohio | 2003-03-03 23:59 1 comment |
 by Flemming FunchWesterville, Ohio is installing a 250-kilowatt fuel cell, which will power 180 homes. It is apparently the first of its kind in the U.S. It will be a 28-foot-long, 85,000-pound unit, built by FuelCell Energy of Danbury, Connecticut. As any other fuel cell, it generates energy from hydrogen by a simple chemical process. In this 'direct' approach, natural gas is the source, and the hydrogen doesn't even have to be separated out from the gas first. The unit makes little noise. Nothing is burned and it simply produces water which will be discharged directly into a city sewer. The electricity produced will still cost more than electricity produced by conventional means, but it is part of a more long term plan. As part of its Third Frontier initiative, Ohio plans to spend $103 million on fuel-cell research during the next three years. |