- Contract to evaluate the use of carbonate fuel cells to efficiently and affordably capture carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from a 14 megawatt natural gas-fired turbine
- Initial design and costing of a potential multi-stage project
- Joint Industry Project under Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance
DANBURY, Conn., Feb. 16, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FuelCell Energy, Inc. (Nasdaq:FCEL), a global leader in the design, manufacture, operation and service of ultra‐clean, efficient and reliable fuel cell power plants, today announced a contract with Cenovus Energy Inc. to complete the preliminary front-end design and engineering (pre-FEED) for siting a fuel cell system to capture CO2 from flue gas. The system would be at an existing 14 megawatt natural gas-fired co-generation facility located at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada.
Cenovus, a Canadian integrated oil company, is the lead partner of a Joint Industry Project (JIP) and acts on behalf of the JIP participants that include Alberta Innovates-Energy Environment Solutions as well as Cenovus, Devon Canada and Shell Canada, three members of Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA). This project is intended to quantify the benefits of the fuel cell carbon capture solution for the separation of CO2 from the flue gas of boilers used to make steam in oil sands production.
“Cenovus and our COSIA partners on this project are focused on innovation and technology development to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and this fuel cell carbon capture project illustrates our commitment to this goal,” said Craig Stenhouse, Manager, COSIA at Cenovus. “We’re encouraged by the growing commercial adoption of FuelCell Energy power plants, and configuring them for carbon capture is a compelling application for us to pursue.”
“Cost is a critical aspect for Canadian oil sands operators, and our carbon capture solution can efficiently and affordably concentrate CO2, while also producing ultra-clean power that supports economics from the sale of electricity,” said Chip Bottone, Chief Executive Officer, FuelCell Energy, Inc. “Our solution is delivered in an environmentally friendly manner, and the scalable nature of our carbon capture solution is attractive, as additional capture capability can be incrementally added over time.”
The FuelCell Energy solution is an effective and one of the least costly options for removal of CO2 emissions from coal-fired power plants, as demonstrated under a multi-year project from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Completion of the pre-FEED project for Cenovus will verify the unique capability of the Direct FuelCell® (DFC®) power plant to capture carbon from gas-fired power generation and combustion facilities while simultaneously producing ultra-clean power. The project is focused on separating 75% of the CO2 from the flue gas of the cogeneration plant at the University of Calgary, which provides electricity and heat for the campus.
Fuel cell power plants configured for carbon capture will utilize natural gas as the fuel source and process the flue gas from the natural gas-fired turbine into the fuel cell air system, where CO2 is transferred across the fuel cell membrane for concentration in the fuel exhaust stream during power generation. This efficient CO2 concentration is a side reaction of the standard fuel cell power generation process. An added benefit is that approximately 70 percent of smog producing nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions in the gas-fired power plant flue gas is destroyed by the fuel cell power generation process. Learn more about this fuel cell carbon capture solution including a schematic that illustrates the affordable economics for ratepayers - click here
The DFC stationary fuel cell power plants manufactured by FuelCell Energy utilize carbonate fuel cell technology and provide continuous power located where the power is used, including both on-site applications and electric grid support. The plants provide combined heat and power (CHP) capabilities, also known as cogeneration, supporting sustainability initiatives and economics. The plants are fuel flexible, capable of operating on clean natural gas, on-site renewable biogas or directed biogas. Power is produced by an electrochemical reaction, resulting in the virtual absence of pollutants such as NOx, which causes smog, sulfur dioxide (SOx), which contributes to acid rain, or particulate matter, which can aggravate asthma.
About Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance
COSIA is an alliance of oil sands producers focused on accelerating the pace of improvement in environmental performance in Canada’s oil sands through collaborative action and innovation. COSIA brings together leading thinkers from industry, government, academia and the wider public to improve measurement, accountability and environmental performance in the oil sands in four priority areas. COSIA members represent almost 90 percent of the oil sands production in Canada. www.cosia.ca
About FuelCell Energy
Direct FuelCell® power plants are generating ultra-clean, efficient and reliable power at more than 50 locations worldwide. With more than 300 megawatts of power generation capacity installed or in backlog, FuelCell Energy is a global leader in providing ultra-clean baseload distributed generation to utilities, industrial operations, universities, municipal water treatment facilities, government installations and other customers around the world. The Company’s power plants have generated over four billion kilowatt hours of ultra-clean power using a variety of fuels including renewable biogas from wastewater treatment and food processing, as well as clean natural gas. For additional information, please visit www.fuelcellenergy.com, follow us on Twitter and view our videos on YouTube.
Direct FuelCell, DFC, DFC/T, DFC-H2 and FuelCell Energy, Inc. are all registered trademarks of FuelCell Energy, Inc. DFC-ERG is a registered trademark jointly owned by Enbridge, Inc. and FuelCell Energy, Inc.