The fuel cells are being tested through a military-civilian partnership on base to determine their performance and reliability.

The cells are a novel source of power. They generate enough electricity for two average-size houses and never need recharging. 

Background:
IdaTech, Offutt Air Force Base (Offutt) and the Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) will jointly participate in the installation of one (1) 5 kW propane-fueled outdoor system to be located at the Elkhorn Communications Detachment and provide grid independent power to field office support loads. The loads will be varied throughout the day but are expected to average approximately 2.0 kW AC over the course of the year. 

There will be demand spikes from office equipment that will be turned on and off during the day. 

A water-heating dump load will be connected to maintain a minimum power demand of at least 1.5 kW from the fuel cell system at all times. These loads will be connected to the fuel cell system¹s inverter output via an automatic transfer switch (ATS) that feeds an electrical sub-panel. 

In cases where the fuel cell system¹s power output is interrupted the ATS would automatically switch to grid power.