The following excerpt is from the DOE press
release dated 17 April 2000,
that announced the shipment of this cell to California.
"The new power plant is made up of 1152 individual tubular ceramic cells which give
it the capability to generate about 200 kilowatts of electricity. The unit is the
world's first to operate the cells under high pressures and to use the hot, pressurized
exhaust gases to drive a microturbine generator which will generate an additional 20
kilowatts of electricity at full power. ... The power plant's combined maximum output
of 220 kilowatts is enough electricity to power more than 200 homes.
"Since natural gas has very little sulfur in it when it reaches the fuel
cell, there are no sulfur dioxide pollutants released into the air. Nitrogen oxide
emissions, another air pollutant, are likely to be in the range of only 0.5 parts
per million - nearly 50 times less than today's average gas turbines. The ultra-clean
performance is the major reason why fuel cells can be sited in the most environmentally
"In the power industry, efficiency gains of even a few percentage points
can make a major economic difference over the life of a generating system. Siemens
Westinghouse expects that electrical efficiencies of more than 70 percent can be
achieved as its hybrid technology improves. Higher efficiencies also mean fewer
greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon dioxide. When compared to a conventional
coal-fired power plant, a 70-percent efficient natural gas fuel cell-turbine hybrid
would cut the release of carbon dioxide by three-fourths. The reduction would be
nearly one-third when compared to today's natural gas turbine plants."
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technology in general, please fill out the Collecting History questionnaire
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The complete press release
was found on the Web at: http://www.fe.doe.gov/techline/tl_fc_solidox_fat.html.
Information about this project was also found on the Siemens Westinghouse website at:
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