U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
nvironmental Technology Verification Program
Fuel Cells
The U.S. EPA Environmental Technology Verification
(ETV) Program's Greenhouse Gas Technology (GHG)
Center, operated by Southern Research Institute under a
cooperative agreement with EPA, has verified the per-
formance of two fuel cell technologies mat generate elec-
tricity at the point of use.1 The GHG Center has collabo-
rated with the New York State Energy Research and De-
velopment Authority (NYSERDA) to evaluate the per-
formance of the technologies. These fuel cells reduce the
need to generate electricity from sources such as large
electric utility plants, which emit significant quantities of
carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and car-
bon monoxide (CO).
Test Description and Results
The first polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell
and phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC) were developed in
the 1960s and 1970s, respectively. Reliable performance
data are needed on fuel cell technologies which have
seen limited commercialization. The ETV Program re-
sponded by completing three verifications for two sta-
tionary fuel cell technologies (Table 1): a small PEM
fuel cell, sized for residential-scale use, and a larger
PAFC technology, sized for commercial or institu-
tional use. In the ETV tests, the latter technology oper-
ated on biogas from landfills and a wastewater treatment
plant. In one test, ETV also verified the potential for heat
recovery. During each test, the ETV Program verified
power production and emissions performance. In two of
the tests (one for each technology), ETV verified power
quality. Table 2 lists selected performance data of the
verified fuel cells. More detailed performance data are
available in the verification reports for each of the tech-
nologies and can be found at the GHG verified technolo-
gies list under the advance energy category http://
www.epa.gov/nmirl/std/etY/vt-ggt.htmltfadvanceenergy.
Electric Utility Emissions and
Fuel Cells at a Glance
EPA estimates that in 2002 the United States emit-
ted almost 6.4 billion tons of CO2and nearly 22
million tons of NOX. Electricity generation ac-
counted for 39% of the total CO2 emissions and
21 % of the total NOX emissions. Other pollutants
are also emitted during electricity generation, in-
cluding CO and total hydrocarbons (THCs). Each
of these emissions can have significant environ-
mental and health effects. COi and methane are
greenhouse gases linked to global climate change.
CO, THCs, and the various compounds in the NOX
family, as well as derivatives formed when NOX
reacts in the environment, cause a wide variety of
health and environmental impacts.
Fuel cells use hydrogen, or another fuel converted
to hydrogen, to electrochemically generate electric-
ity. Because they can be installed at the point of
use, power transmission losses, which can be in the
range of 4.7% to 7.8%, can be avoided. When
we 11-matched to a facility's needs in a properly
designed combined heat and power (CHP) applica-
tion, net fuel consumption and overall emissions
can also be reduced. Fuel cells can also reduce
natural resource consumption, since they can be
designed to operate using biogas from animal
waste, wastewater treatment plants, landfills, and
other sources. Although their use is voluntary, fed-
eral, state, and local governments have undertaken
a number of activities to promote the use of fuel
cells including demonstration projects, regulations
or standards, education partnerships, procurement
standards, and business incentives.
Table 1. Verified Fuel Cell Technologies
Technology Name
Plug Power SU1 Fuel
Cell System
UTC Fuel Cells, LLC
PC25™ Fuel Cell*
Electricity Generating Capacity
(kilowatts, kW)
6
200
Additional Information
• A polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell. Tested at a private residence in
Lewiston, New York. Included a fuel reformulation system to operate using natural gas.
Excess power generated by the fuel cell, but not used by the residence, was directed to
the electric utility grid. Verified in 2003.
• A phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC). Tested at municipal solid waste landfills in Califor-
nia and Connecticut. Included a gas processing unit to operate using landfill gas. The
electricity produced was directed to a local grid system and sold to utility companies.
Verified in 1998.
• A phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC). Tested at a wastewater treatment facility in Brook-
lyn, New York. Included a gas processing unit to operate using anaerobic digester gas.
Power produced by the fuel cell offset the need to purchase electricity from the facility's
local utility. Verified in 2004.
A UTC Fuel Cells, LLC was known as International Fuel Cells Corporation in 1998, when the first verification was completed. The technology has since been renamed as the
PureCell™ 200.
The ETV Program operates largely as a public-private partnership through competitive cooperative agreements with non-profit research institutes. The program
provides objective quality-assured data on the performance of commercial-ready technologies. ETV does not endorse the purchase or sale of any products and
services mentioned in this document.
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Selected Outcomes of Verified Fuel Cells
Available sales data indicate that a capacity of 15
megawatts (MW) of ETV-verified fuel cells have
been installed in the United States since the verifi-
cations were completed. ETV estimates that these
systems have:
• Reduced CO2 emissions by 17,000 tons per
year and NOx by 120 tons per year, with asso-
ciated climate change, environmental, and hu-
man health benefits.
• Increased utilization of renewable fuels result-
ing in reductions in the consumption of natural
resources. (Note: Systems that utilize anaero-
bic digester gas represent 2 MW of the in-
stalled capacity and are responsible for 14,000
tons per year of the CC>2 reductions estimated
above.)
Assuming annual sales continue at the same rate
as in 2005, ETV estimates the total installed ca-
pacity of ETV-verified fuel cells should reach 34
MW in the next five years, reducing CO2 by
41,000 tons per year and NOX by 270 tons per
year. Many of the fuel cells would utilize renew-
able fuels, such as anaerobic digester gas, result-
ing in reductions in natural resource consumption.
The percentage of fuel cells installed in combined
heat and power (CHP) applications is also pro-
jected to increase to 38% of the installed capacity.
References
U.S. EPA, 2006. ETV Case Studies: Demonstrat-
ing Program Outcomes, Volume II. EPA/600/R-
06/082. September. (Primary source)
U.S. EPA ETV, http://www.epa.gov/etv.
Table 2. Selected Performance of Verified Fuel Cells
Power Production*
Electrical efficiency
Potential thermal efficiency8
Potential total system efficiency8
23.8% to 38.0%
56.9%
93.8%
Emissions
C02 emissions rates
1.31to1.66lbs/kWhc
A At full load, under normal operation.
B In one test, ETV also verified the potential for heat recovery.
c Ibs/kWh = pounds per kilowatt-hour
Plug Power fuel cell
ETV Greenhouse Gas
Technology Center
David Kirchgessner, EPA Project Officer
kirchgessner.david@epa.gov
Tel: (919) 541-4021
Tim Hansen, Southern Research Institute
hansen(%sri.org
Tel: (919) 806-3456
UTC fuel cell
EPA/600/F-06/017
October 2006
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