Acumentrics Receives $15.6 Million Fuel Cell Development Contract

June 4, 2008 – Vol.13 No.11

Acumentrics Receives $15.6 Million Fuel Cell Development Contract.

The cost-shared grant from the US Department of Energy (DOE) is to continue advancement of the company’s tubular solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology and to double the size of the units to 10 kilowatts. The grant is part of DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy EERE Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Infrastructure Technologies (HFCIT) program to develop fuel cell technologies for small stationary applications.

For Acumentrics the new funding is a continuation of Phase I research and development under DOE’s Fossil Energy Solid-State Energy Conversion Alliance (SECA) program

“Fuel cells are likely to be a key power generation technology in a cleaner, more energy efficient America.” said Acumentrics CTO and Senior Vice-President Dr. Norm Bessette. “We believe Acumentrics’ tubular ceramic technology is the highest-efficiency low-emission alternative for providing power and heat for homes, small and medium size businesses, remote locations and military applications while using conventional and alternative fuels.”

“This additional funding will help us reach cost and reliability thresholds required for commercial deployment of our systems through increased performance and enhanced fabrication techniques,” Bessette added.

Since 2003 Acumentrics has improved the performance of its SOFC technology by increasing the durability of SOFC units showing only 0.5 percent degradation per 1000 hours and achieving over 8760 hours of operation, moving the system much closer to a target 40,000 hour lifetime; achieved over 52 percent total fuel-to-electrical energy efficiency when using natural gas; shown an estimated mass production manufacturing cost below $800 per kilowatt; and reduced the size and weight of fuel cell power units by more than 75 percent

Acumentrics, of Westwood, Massachusetts, develops fuel-flexible tubular ceramics-based fuel cell technology and provides rugged, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) to the military and other mission-critical markets. (6/4/08)

Links:

Acumentrics
http://www.acumentrics.com

Acumentrics Canada To Investigate Ammonia As Hydrogen Source For Solid Oxide Fuel Cells.

Acumentrics’ SOFC Fuel Cell Passes 50 Percent Efficiency Threshold.

Acumentrics Receives Dept. of Energy Funding to Raise Efficiency of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs).

Acumentrics and MTS Group Demonstrate Wall Mounted Residential Fuel Cell Heat & Power System.

Acumentrics Installs 5kW Fuel Cell Power System in National Park.

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