A fuel cell heating system produced by Brennstoffzellentechnik GmbH of Riesa, Germany, was put into operation on June 30, 2005, making it the project’s first system from this manufacturer. Following Sulzer Hexis and Vaillant, Brennstoffzellentechnik GmbH is the third manufacturer to have a device tested as part of VNG’s DemoCell project.

In cooperation with the Chemnitz municipal utility company and other project partners, VNG installed an in house 4000 proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell at the Chemnitz Botanical Garden. The fuel cell generates four kilowatts of electricity and approximately eight kilowatts of thermal energy, which are fed directly into the Botanical Garden’s technical facilities. Any electricity generated in excess of the Botanical Garden’s needs is fed into the utility company’s low-voltage power grid.