"the fuel cell will pay itself off in around 3.5 years and will last around 15 years"
"The company's goal is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to below 1990 levels by 2010"
Fujitsu unveils king-size fuel cell
August 17, 2007 4:24 PM PDT
A proton exchange membrane (PEM) hydrogen fuel cell, king-size. Fujitsu inaugurated this fuel cell at its Sunnyvale, Calif., campus on Friday. The fuel cell sits in the parking lot and looks like a pair of giant green dumpsters. Made by UTC Power, the fuel cell will produce 200 kilowatts of power, which is enough to power half of the cooling needed in Fujitsu's data center.
The heat harvested from the reactions required to turn hydrogen into electricity will be used by Fujitsu in the buildings too. Right now, the fuel cell system is 50 percent efficient. That puts it on par with conventional power plants; with conventional systems, over half of the power gets lost in transmission lines or as waste heat before it gets to your house. By capturing more heat, the efficiency of the fuel cell can be raised to 85 percent, says UTC.
Ever wonder how a hydrogen fuel cell works? This poster explains the process. In a nutshell, natural gas (methane, made from carbon and hydrogen) is heated with steam until it cracks. Hydrogen is harvested and then piped to a different unit with a membrane. The membrane harvests electrons from the hydrogen molecules. Carbon dioxide and water are the byproducts. The hot water from the reaction can be used to heat buildings.
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Related article:
http://news.com.com/Hydrogen+fuel+cells+power+Fujitsu+data+center/2100-11392_3-6203247.html?tag=ne.gall.relatedHydrogen fuel cells power Fujitsu data center
Hydrogen. It's the alternative fuel everyone hates--but apparently it works, according to Fujitsu.
Photos: Fujitsu unveils king-size fuel cell
By Michael Kanellos
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Published: August 17, 2007, 2:54 PM PDT
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Although carbon dioxide is expelled when producing hydrogen, the fuel cell will result in about 35 percent less greenhouse gas emissions overall, according to Homer Purcell, UTC vice president of sales. That's about 500 tons of carbon dioxide not emitted a year. It will also save about 800,000 gallons of water a year, he added. Conventional power plants require more water.
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Utility credits also help. Pacific Gas & Electric gave Fujitsu $500,000 in rebates for installing the system. That works out to $2.50 a watt, or the same amount that homeowners get for installing solar panels. With the subsidy, the fuel cell will pay itself off in around 3.5 years and will last around 15 years, according to Fujitsu
Like many Japanese companies, Fujitsu has set goals for greenhouse gas reductions. (Pollution problems and skyrocketing costs of imported energy in the 1970s kicked off a conservation movement in the country that has remained somewhat strong.)
The company's goal is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to below 1990 levels by 2010. In 2006, it reduced overall waste in its factories 41 percent from 2003 levels, according to Hideru Yamaguchi, president of the corporate environmental affairs unit at Fujitsu.
The company also has tried to integrate more green ideas into its products. In 2005, for instance, it released a laptop in Japan with a biodegradable chassis made of corn starch-based plastic.