Green Energy News | October 31, 1999

October 31 1999 – Vol.4 No.31

ENERGIES... week of October 31, 1999

GREEN POWER MILESTONE #1. Three million hours of accumulated in-service operation has been announced by International Fuel Cells (IFC) for its fleet of model PC25 (tm) commercial fuel cell power plant systems. IFC is better known by its manufacturing arm ONSI.

Each of the more than 200 systems installed in 84 U.S. cities and in 11 countries keeps more than 1100 tons of potential greenhouse gases and 40,000 pounds of pollutants each year from entering the atmosphere. IFC’s PC25 produces 200 kilowatts of electricity and more than 700,000 Btu’s per hour of thermal energy. The fuel cell can operate on natural gas, methane, propane, butane or pure hydrogen.

The first methane-from-waste-water-treatment powered fuel cell in Europe is being installed near Cologne, Germany. The power plant will be operated by electric utility company GEW Koln AG. Waste heat from the IFC PC25 (as above) will be used in the water treatment process. Methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, is normally flared-off. IFC supplies fuel cells for the U.S. Space Shuttle and is developing automotive units. Visit IFC at http://www.internationalfuelcells.com/ .

GREEN POWER MILESTONE #2. A Capstone MicroTurbine Model 330 (tm) has been operating continuously - 24 hours per day - since February of this year accumulating more than 6000 hours of operation. The 30 kilowatt MicroTurbine has been a distributed power source in an office building of energy company Southern Union in Galveston, Texas. The unit has been operating on natural gas to supplement power from the grid. The Model 330 has an expected life span of at least 40,000 hours - over 4.5 years of non-stop operation. Visit Capstone at http://www.capstoneturbine.com/ .

GREEN POWER MILESTONE #3. The first demonstration of a Metallic Power prototype zinc/air fuel cell and zinc recycling unit have taken place at company facilities.

The lead-acid battery pack of a Cushman brand electric utility cart was replaced with a zinc/air fuel cell. The now zinc/air powered cart was then operated through an identical testing sequence as previously determined when the cart was lead-acid powered. After numerous tests, the cart traveled 25 percent farther and was fully refueled in about ten minutes with the recycling unit. Metallic Power thinks refueling can be reduced to 3-5 minutes. The company at this time is pursuing non-road applications for the technology. Visit Metallic Power at http://www.metallicpower.com/ .

LIGHT BODIES. If cars are to achieve the equivalent of 80 miles per gallon of gasoline, they’ll have to be much lighter, according to DaimlerChrysler. One option is the greater use of molded recyclable thermoplastics for structural and body panel construction.

DaimlerChrysler claims body weight can be reduced by 50 percent and the number of body parts reduced from 75-100 metal stampings to 6-12 molded plastic ones. Entire cars could be built and recycled with at least 25 percent of new bodies made from same color recycled thermoplastics. The company has the largest dual-platen injection molding machine in the industry and will begin using it to make Jeep Wrangler hardtops for customer evaluation. Visit DaimlerChrysler media at http://www.media.daimlerchrysler.com/ .