Acumentrics and Partners to Test SOFC mCHP in European Homes

Acumentrics and European heating appliance market leader Merloni Termosanitari (MTS) Group have formed a consortium with major European and North American utilities to demonstrate and field trial a residential solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) micro combined heat and power (mCHP) system.

Six utilities -- British Gas (Centrica), EnBW, GDF SUEZ, EON, Kiwa Gas Technology (representing Dutch gas trading company GasTerra) and ENMAX Green Power Inc., a subsidiary of ENMAX Energy Corporation, have joined a consortium to test and demonstrate Acumentrics tubular SOFC-based mCHP systems.

The system is designed to meet the power and heating needs of an average-size European home using a 1 kilowatt tubular solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) in combination with a 24 kilowatt condensing boiler, operating on natural gas. Acumentrics and MTS demonstrated the system to potential utility partners at the ELCO facility in Hechingen last October.

To support the introduction of SOFC mCHP technology into the market, Acumentrics, MTS and the utilities have designed a laboratory and field trial programme to evaluate the reliability and performance of the technology. Utilities participating in the consortium will fine tune the product through the final stages of market introduction in a three-phase programme including shared lab demonstration, on-site evaluation at consortium member sites, and initial field trials at their customer sites.

Source: Fuel Cell Today