Re: Northern California Jail Opens Door to Giant Fuel Cell
- From: "lkgeo1" <lkgeo1@xxxxxxx>
- Date: 10 Aug 2006 04:24:47 -0700
Hydrogen Show 2006
of HYDROGEN SHOW, the International Exhibition on Hydrogen and FuelFrom 5 to 8 October 2006 the New Fair of Rome will host the 5° Edition
Cells.
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sector that, today, sees both small and large companies committed to
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Come and find out the most recent innovations in fuel cells for
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sources, the only kind really to offer a "clean" response to the
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lkgeo1 wrote:
Northern California Jail Opens Door to Giant Fuel Cell
Publication Date:10-Aug-2006
06:30 PM US Eastern Timezone
Source:Elizabeth Douglass-LA Times
New fuel cell, along with existing solar panels, can produce up to 80%
of the Bay Area lockup's power at peak times. It's expected to cut
costs too. A massive Bay Area jail will unveil a state-of-the-art cell
today, but it's not the kind that holds prisoners.
Instead, Alameda County officials will show off California's largest
fuel cell, a battery-like system expected to cut the Santa Rita Jail's
yearly electric bill by more than $260,000.
The $6.1-million undertaking, funded in part with $2.4 million in
government grants and incentives, is among a spate of large
energy-saving projects that have been cropping up at government and
large commercial sites where uninterrupted power is a must.
"This is the wave of the future, and we should be using all of these
different technologies," said Bernadette Del Chiaro, clean-energy
advocate at the Sacramento-based Environment California. "It's great to
see government institutions helping to lead the way."
Big power users such as the jail, many of which had their electricity
cut off sporadically during California's 2000-01 energy crisis, have
gradually found ways to supply some of their own power and reduce their
reliance on the electric grid that energizes much of the state.
That motivation was reinforced by a crippling power failure that swept
through the Midwest and Northeast in August 2003 and again by the
recent California heat wave, which pushed the state's power system to
the brink of rolling blackouts.
The sprawling jail in Dublin was a prime candidate. Santa Rita, with
4,000 inmates, is the third-largest county detention center in the
state. Its yearly power bill of $1.6 million underscores its heft.
Matthew Muniz, energy program manager for Alameda County, said the jail
saw its per-kilowatt-hour cost almost double during the state's power
crunch five years ago. And on top of that, Santa Rita was kicked off
the electricity grid several times under its agreement as a major power
user with Pacific Gas & Electric Co.
In 2001 and 2002, the jail installed a three-acre rooftop solar
electric system that reduced its daytime reliance on the PG&E system by
30%. The county studied ways to save even more - and sought a
solution that would provide environmental benefits as well.
"The fuel cell wasn't the cheapest, but it was compelling enough, and
the savings was enough," Muniz said. "And it fits in with our
sustainability program."
After accounting for the grants and incentives, the project cost $3.7
million, much of that financed through a 15-year loan provided through
the California Energy Commission. The loan payments and leftover costs
are funded entirely by the project's cost savings under a performance
contract with project designer Chevron Energy Solutions and the fuel
cell maker, officials said.
The system, which is expected to repay that investment through energy
savings during those first 15 years, is designed to last 25 years.
The hydrogen fuel cell will provide 1 megawatt of electricity to the
jail continuously - enough to supply more than half the facility's
annual consumption of 16 million kilowatt-hours. Together with the
1.2-megawatt solar system, Santa Rita can provide as much as 80% of its
own power during peak-demand summer months, a period when the state's
grid feels the most strain.
Fuel cells come in many forms. All convert the energy in hydrogen from
natural gas or another fuel into electricity, but without producing
harmful emissions.
The system at Santa Rita starts with natural gas, strips the hydrogen
from it using steam and forces a recurring chemical reaction inside a
stack of fuel cells that is heated to 1,100 degrees.
The process produces direct current power - which is converted to
usable alternating current power - as well as heat, water and clean
exhaust.
The cell was made by Connecticut-based FuelCell Energy, and its waste
heat is redirected to the jail to heat water for showers and washing
laundry.
In addition, Santa Rita's type of cell can be fueled with
non-hydrocarbon and potentially less-expensive sources such as gases
from landfills and waste-water treatment, said Jack Brouwer, associate
director of the National Fuel Cell Research Center in Irvine.
"This is a technology that is still emerging ... but we can already see
today installations that are cost-effective for customers," he said.
"It is one strategy that we can use to mitigate the very real threat we
have for rolling blackouts in the future."
The California Independent System Operator, which runs three-fourths of
the state's power grid, is applauding Santa Rita's growing
self-sufficiency. On July 24, Cal-ISO found itself struggling to
satisfy power demand that surpassed 50,000 megawatts - a level that
wasn't forecast for six more years, spokesman Gregg Fishman said.
"To see this actually happening is exciting," he said of the Santa Rita
project. "It won't make a huge difference ... but we'll take every
megawatt we can get."
.
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