FuelCellsWorks

Officials in the Italian city of Venice have welcomed the start-up of an innovative power plant that is designed to showcase the benefits of advanced hydrogen technologies.

The hydrogen-fuelled combined cycle plant at Fusina is the first industrial-scale facility of its kind and is part of a wider set of projects backed by Italy’s Hydrogen Park consortium.

It will generate around 60 GWh/year and avoid the emission of more than 17,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, says Enel, which built the 16 MW facility.

The Fusina hydrogen plant has a total output of 12 MW and its waste heat is used to generate high temperature steam to produce an additional 4 MW in an adjacent coal-fired power plant. It uses 1.3 tonnes per hour of hydrogen, which is sourced from a nearby petrochemical plant via a 4 km-long pipeline.

Enel and its Hydrogen Park partners have invested €50 million in the plant. The consortium – formed by the Venice Industrial Union in 2003 – seeks to promote the development and application of hydrogen technologies in transport and power generation in the industrial area of Porto Marghera.

Enel initially tested the plant using methane as a fuel in early 2009 before switching to hydrogen in August that year.

Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited (AIM/ASX: CFU) – a leading developer of high efficiency and low emission electricity generation units for homes and other buildings – today announced that it has appointed one of Australia’s leading and most progressive retailers, Harvey Norman, to distribute the company’s BlueGen gas-to-electricity generators through the Harvey Norman commercial division franchisee.

Harvey Norman’s Commercial Division will be a non-exclusive distributor of BlueGen units, initially in New South Wales and the ACT. The Harvey Norman Commercial Division sells a wide range of home products including solar hot water and solar power systems to commercial customers such as architects, home builders and tradespeople.

Harvey Norman’s Commercial Division will sell BlueGen units to its commercial clients and other foundation customers such as utilities and Government bodies. Initially BlueGen units will not be sold through the Harvey Norman ‘retail’ stores, however the long-term plan is to leverage the extended reach of the entire Harvey Norman retail stores to the consumer market.

The appointment of Harvey Norman Commercial Division as a BlueGen distributor is in addition to the appointment last year of green retailer Neco in Melbourne.

“We are very excited to have one of Australia’s largest retailers selling BlueGen,” said Ceramic Fuel Cells Managing Director Brendan Dow. We are excited by both Harvey Norman’s huge retailing reach and their enthusiasm for our product. The appointment of Harvey Norman represents a massive opportunity for BlueGen in New South Wales and ACT.”

The Harvey Norman Commercial Division is the largest Harvey Norman commercial division franchise, servicing most of New South Wales and the ACT’s largest construction and home builder clients. Importantly, they have a dedicated division selling solar hot water, air conditioning and solar energy systems to commercial and retail markets.

About the size of a dishwasher, BlueGen units use patented fuel cell technology to convert natural gas into electricity with very high efficiency. Over a year, each BlueGen can produce twice the electricity needed to power an average home, with the excess power exported to the power grid. BlueGen also produces enough heat to meet the average home’s daily needs for hot water.

Ceramic Fuel Cells recently announced that a report by CSIRO has confirmed the significant carbon savings from BlueGen units. In its report – Desktop Greenhouse Gas Emission Comparison of the BlueGen Fuel Cell Unit with Other Means of Providing Electricity and Heat to Australian Homes, prepared by Peter Campbell – CSIRO determined that in New South Wales a 2-kilowatt BlueGen unit, when operating continuously, can save between nine and 25 tonnes of carbon emissions a year compared to grid power and an electric hot water system. A copy of the CSIRO report is available at www.cfcl.com.au.