RLB_UK_Riders_Digest_2013

UK CONSTRUCTION INFORMATION
and heat all year round. (Note subsidised by an American
defence company to be used as a demonstration project).
Potentially applicable for transport, stationary (residential /
commercial buildings) and portable appliances.
Fuel cells have very few moving parts and consequently
require minimal maintenance, while offering high reliability in
continuous power supply.
Their efficiency does not vary with their size.
Very quiet mode of operation.
Negligible emission of pollutants in the ideal case, just water
vapour.
They can produce electricity at efficiencies well above
standard internal combustion engines combined with
generators or steam cycles.
They can be employed as grid connected or stand alone.
Fuel cells can be used for co-generation hence increasing
their overall efficiency up to 85% in all sites identified as
suitable for CHP.
Depending on the type employed, the rejected heat can be
utilised for either low or high grade heat.
Limitations
At present fuel cell costs are very high varying
anywhere between £2,500 - £6,000 per kW depending
on fuel cell type.
Unverified level of performance over time. Their performance
and reliability over their lifetime still remains to be confirmed.
Many types of fuel cell power plants must have their stack
and fuel processor units replaced every 5 to 10 years
(e.g. Woking BC, fuel cell stack replacement after 5 years,
estimated cost £250,000
Infrastructure; the primary energy source is hydrogen and
currently there is no infrastructure provision hence the use of
bottle stores or reforming of natural gas.
Some fuel cells provide heat to power ratio of less than
unity, thus not matching traditional applications where heat
demand is higher than that of electricity.
Some types of fuel cells produce low grade heat unsuitable
in most cases for industrial purposes.
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