A new environmentally-friendly fuel cell that only gives off hot water and a little bit of carbon dioxide will get a test run at UTM next fall.
UTM has been selected to house one of the first pre-commercial demonstrations of the world’s largest solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) power plant. According to Ontario Power Generation (OPG) representative Patricia Anderson, there were several reasons why UTM got the nod.
“There was a fairly lengthy list of detailed site requirements required of candidates. Furthermore, there seemed to be a good fit between the emission-free, high efficiency fuel cell power plant and the environmentally sensitive expansion plan under development at UTM. We were also very interested in UTM because we are interested in facilitating of the transfer of this exciting knowledge to the research community at the university.”
This is one of the first steps to using energy production compliant with the Kyoto agreement passed Dec. 10, 2002 by the federal government. The purpose of the bill is to cut down the emissions of the world’s greenhouse gases. The gases are hydrocarbon by-products of the burning of fossil fuels that produce energy for homes and vehicles. Many scientists say greenhouse gases cause substantial damage to the world’s climate by warming the Earth’s atmosphere.
The SOFC hopes to alleviate that. The fuel cell works like a battery, using a lanthanum manganate cathode (positively charged) and a nickel-zirconia anode (negative charge). Sandwiched between the two is a thin layer of zirconium oxide and a solid ceramic acting as the electrolyte.
Electricity is generated through the electrochemical reaction of the hydrogen-rich natural gases and oxygen. The hydrogen is passed onto the anode and the oxygen to the cathode.
Activated by a catalyst, the hydrogen atoms separate into protons and electrons, each taking different paths to the cathode. The electrons go through an external circuit creating a flow of electricity. The protons then migrate through the electrolyte to the cathode, where they meet with oxygen and the electrons to produce water and heat.
Ulli Kroll, a professor of environmental studies at UTM, noted, “The reality is that this device is the cleanest and most efficient source of energy made from fossil fuels. The net outcome of the SOFC delivers little impact to the environment; hot water and CO2 (the air we breath out) are the only by-products.”
The entire plant will be integrated into UTM’s current power and hot water grid. The total net power output from the device is around 250 kilowatts, approximately enough energy for 200 homes.
As for the overall cost, the equipment is not going to be billed to the university. According to Anderson, “We are just now working out with UTM to determine what costs will be involved.”
