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IT’S REAL
‘ROCKET SCIENCE’ AS UK’S FIRST FUEL CELL
LANDS IN WOKING
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Author HG Wells earmarked
Woking as the place where aliens landed in his science
fiction epic War of the Worlds. Just over a 100
years later real space age innovation has landed
in Woking in the form of a fuel cell developed from
space technology.
Guildford based BTU (Heating)
Ltd has installed and commissioned the first fuel
cell combined heat and power (CHP) system in the
UK on behalf of Woking Borough Council at their
Woking Park leisure complex.
The fuel cell CHP system, as part of a private wire
district energy system, provides the leisure complex
with heat to the swimming pool water systems, high
grade heat to the heating systems, chilled water
to cooling and air conditioning systems via heat
fired absorption chilling, electricity and 100%
pure water via a water recovery system.
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Not
only will the combined system meet all the energy
requirements of the leisure complex but also become
self sufficient in electricity and a net exporter
of electricity all year round. The surplus electricity
is exported to other Council sites and in conjunction
with the Council’s innovative public/private
joint venture Energy Services Company, Thameswey
Energy Ltd, will also be supplied to local sheltered
housing residents and businesses as part of its
green generation portfolio.
A fuel
cell contains an anode and a cathode insulated
by an electrolyte between them. Hydrogen is supplied
to the anode while oxygen is supplied to the cathode.
The two gases try to join, but because of the
electrolyte, the hydrogen atom splits into a proton
and electron allowing the proton to pass freely
through the electrolyte whilst the electron takes
a different route, creating an electric current
before recombining with the hydrogen and oxygen,
creating a molecule of water. This chemical process
generates not only electrical and thermal energy
but also 100% pure water.
Fuel cell technology generates
50% more electricity than the conventional equivalent
without burning any fuel. As a result carbon dioxide
CO2 emissions are significantly reduced and other
harmful emissions are virtually eliminated meeting
the Government’s sustainability criteria
for exemption from the Climate Change Levy.
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Further
Information
The fuel cell CHP is manufactured in the USA by
UTC Fuel Cells Llc who have supplied fuel cells
for the US Space Programme since the 1960’s
to provide heat, electricity and drinking water
for the space programme missions.
Fuel cells now provide environmentally sound,
clean, efficient and reliable energy systems in
17 countries on 6 continents.
The sponsors of this project are the Department
of Trade Industry, Advantica Technologies (formerly
BG plc) and the US Department of Defense under
the USA Climate Change Program. The Energy Saving
Trust are also supporting the provision of energy
services to sheltered housing customers element
of the project. The project has been implemented
by Woking Borough Council with the balance of
funding provided by its innovative public/private
joint venture ESCO, Thameswey Energy Ltd, who
will also operate the system.
Allan Jones MBE, the Council’s Energy Services
Manager and Executive Director of Thameswey Ltd,
said that "Woking Borough Council has been
in the forefront of such environmentally friendly
energy systems for some time, which has now been
officially recognised by the Council gaining the
Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Sustainable
Development 2001 for the development of its local
sustainable community energy systems, the only
local authority ever to receive a Queen’s
Award for Enterprise".
Commenting on the project, Andrew McCracken, Director
of BTU (Heating) said: "We were delighted
to be involved in such an historic event and see
this as the benchmark for all future energy production.
We will be looking to assist any other local authorities
or, indeed, private organisations wishing to follow
Woking Borough Council and Thameswey Energy Ltd’s
inspired lead".
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01483 590600 Fax:
01483 590601 |
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