| KINGSTON,
ONTARIO--TSX VENTURE : FCT
Fuel Cell Technologies Ltd. (FCT)
announced today that its second generation 5kW Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC)
system has accumulated over 1500 hours of operation. In the latest test,
which is ongoing, the unit has generated more than 5kW of energy per hour
for over 300 hours.
The unit will undergo further routine
tests at the FCT facility, however the cell stack's output of 500 Amps
of DC power at approximately 10 Volts, a level of performance with which
FCT is very pleased. It is anticipated that first deliveries of these systems
will take place in the first half of 2005. FCT is now making minor design
refinements primarily targeted toward improving efficiency. In the interim,
two first generation systems that incorporate improvements gleaned from
on-site experience will be shipped to customers during this quarter.
"FCT's latest generator design is
working well and this newest unit is a testament to the teamwork between
Siemens Westinghouse Power Corporation (SWPC) and FCT engineers," said
John Stannard, President and CEO of FCT. "We have worked with SWPC to design
and build a product that, among other improvements, uses 48 SOFC tubes
and will operate at lower natural gas pressures. These two changes alone
represent potential cost saving of approximately 25% in the total system
costs. Shipping of these units will signal a new era in FCT's move to commercialization."
Over the past decade, FCT has designed
and built custom fuel cell power systems to the technically demanding requirements
of world renowned customers. Since 2000, FCT has brought that exacting
quality of work to the development of stationary SOFCs. Fuel cell systems
are the future of power generation because of their environmental benefits
and high efficiency. Certain types of fuel cells can operate on a variety
of fuels, including fossil fuels, renewable fuels such as methanol and
ethanol, and hydrogen, facilitating a transition between fossil fuels and
hydrogen. FCT's solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are designed to operate
on a variety of readily available fuels and provide a highly efficient,
environmentally friendly method to produce on-site electricity and heat
that can be used in a variety of remote, residential, commercial and industrial
applications.
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