Your Home Fuel Cell | Green Energy News

June 2, 2002 – Vol.7 No.10

YOUR HOME FUEL CELL.

With 8.1 million households using propane to heat their homes, a target market may already be in place for home fuel cells operating on the familiar and trusted fuel. Those households not connected to natural gas pipelines and using bottled propane - already using a form of distributed energy - could easily understand the appeal of home-made electrical energy. A propane-fueled home fuel cell cogenerator could not only provide electricity but heat and hot water as well.

With funding provided by the Propane Education and Research Council (PERC), a 4.5 kilowatt, propane-fueled, cogenerating fuel cell from H Power has been installed in Yellowstone National Park. The proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell provides electricity and heat to ticket kiosks and an office at the West Entrance in West Yellowstone, Montana - the national park’s busiest entrance.

The demonstration project is part of the park’s Greening of Yellowstone initiative. The fuel cell was installed by Fall River Electric Cooperative of Aston, Idaho, a member owner of Energy Co-Opportunity (ECO). ECO was created to provide distributed energy solutions - solar, fuel cell, gas turbines - to the electric cooperative industry.

Aside from providing low-emission power to the National Park, the project is a test of the fuel cell at high altitude and low ambient temperatures. Visit PERC at http://www.propanecouncil.org/ , H Power at http://www.hpower.com, and ECO at http://www.e-coop.org/ .