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UPS Systems has installed a direct
methanol fuel cell (DMFC) at the
UK Environment Agency’s Woolston
Weir fishery to monitor the movement of
eels.
The aim is to help conservation work by
providing power to telemetry and CCTV
equipment at an ‘eel pass’ to monitor the
endangered creatures’ journey upstream
to fresh water.
To gauge the success of the new eel
pass, the Environment Agency has
installed a monitoring and telemetry
system at the Woolston site, which uses
CCTV to record and monitor the eels’
journeys providing data about its success.
To provide power to the eel pass, UPS
has installed an EFOY Pro 2200 DMFC
alongside two load-carrying batteries
hooked up in parallel. The DMFC acts as a
charger to ensure the batteries are kept
at optimum voltage at all times.
The system provides continuous power
to a water pump that oxygenates a
holding tank where the eels are counted
and checked. It also powers a webcam
and the telemetry system.
The EFOY Pro 2200 is said to offer 38%
more power than the EFOY Pro 1600; it
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UPS
UPS, the Environment Agency &
the ‘eel-good’ factor
UPS Systems has installed a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) at the UK Environment
Agency’s Woolston Weir fishery to monitor the movement of eels. Key to the system is an EFOY
Pro 2200 DMFC alongside two load-carrying batteries hooked up in parallel, reports WIP.
generates 90W of electricity and is said to
be suitable for a range of prime and
standby power applications.
The EFOY Pro 2200 [see right] is
regarded by its manufacturer as a ‘plugand-play’
solution - customers do not
need special expertise to install it. “EFOY
has proved that, in some situations, its
fuel cells can save users up to 90% in
operating and maintenance costs, so the
argument for investing in fuel cell
technology continues to grow,” comments
UPS Systems’ Managing Director Tom
Sperrey.
The EFOY Pro 2200 is described as robust
and doesn’t require maintenance, so it
can be left alone for long periods. For
example, an EFOY Pro 2200 using a 28litre
methanol cartridge can power a 50W
traffic signal serial blinker for 26 days,
while a traditional battery can only power
it for one day.
Like other fuel cells in the EFOY range,
the EFOY Pro 2200 can be used in hybrid
installations which take advantage of
renewable energy sources such as solar or
wind. Such configurations recharge the
batteries that power electrical
equipment. This makes the EFOY Pro 2200
N OVEMBER 2011 • WORLDWIDE I NDEPENDENT P OWER
suitable for standby power applications
and for operation in remote areas where
there isn’t easy access to the grid, says
UPS Systems. The EFOY Pro 2200 can be
located outside, and can operate in all
weather conditions.
The manufacturer of EFOY fuel cells,
Smart Fuel Cell AG, has shipped more
than 16,000 fully commercial products to
industrial and private end users for more
than six years. It has created a convenient
supply infrastructure for its fuel
cartridges, which deliver week-long
autonomous energy and can be obtained
from more than 1,400 sales points in
Europe [www.sfc.com].
SFC Energy AG is a market leader in fuel
cell technologies for mobile and off-grid
power applications serving the leisure,
industrial and defence markets. As one of
Germany’s technology pioneers, SFC has
won numerous innovation awards. Unlike
most other fuel cell manufacturers, who
are in the research and development
phase or run subsidised demonstration
projects, SFC has shipped more than
21,000+ fully commercial products to
industrial and private end-users since
2007.
WIP
Internet link
www.upssystems.co.uk