Integrated Fuel Cell & Electrolyzer System for energy harvesting, storage and supply

Inhalt:
In a number of industries, businesses require reliable electricity to protect business-critical systems and processes. Normally, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) with led-acid batteries and diesel generators are used to provide emergency power. These solutions, however, involve considerable disadvantages with respect to cost, suitable applications, and environmental impact. Consequently, an increasing number of businesses are switching to fuel cells to provide electricity in the event of an emergency. This technology is especially well-suited for off-grid applications. In combination with an electrolyzer, a wind turbine, and a photovoltaic system, these solutions can be fully autonomous since they produce the required hydrogen themselves — a considerable advantage particularly in countries where there are gaps in utility coverage. FutureE Fuel Cell Solutions GmbH is a Germany-based company specializing in advanced fuel cell (FC) systems and energy solutions. With its Jupiter product family, FutureE offers FC-systems providing up to 100kW of power for backup, interim and off-grid applications. With its latest addition to the product family, Jupiter Independence, FutureE has put an integrated fuel cell and electrolyzer system on the market that offers the ability to produce and store electrical energy in the form of hydrogen on-site and re-electrify whenever required. Jupiter Independence consists of a fuel cell system, electrolyzer, and water and hydrogen storage all integrated in a standard IP55 outdoor enclosure. The Jupiter Independence design incorporates the unique scalability concept of the Jupiter product family. Based on Jupiter Independence’s standardized building blocks, all subsystems including the fuel cell, electrolyzer, hydrogen storage, water tank and enclosure can be scaled to meet customer-specific needs. In line with this approach, the central controller intelligence has also been expanded to manage different power, hydrogen supply and storage combinations. The system allows for energy harvesting, storage and supply and is designed to be integral part of decentralized smart grid and off-grid energy solutions as well as for backup and UPS applications with extended autonomy requirements. Using Jupiter Independence as an example, this article will provide deeper insights into the benefits of integrated fuel cell and elecrolyzer systems and the applications and market segments they are targeted at.