Fuel Cell Backup Power Technology Validation

J. Kurtz, S. Sprik, T. Ramsden, G. Saur Intelec 2012: 34th International Telecommunications Energy Conference Scottsdale, Arizona October 1, 2012
NREL/PR-5600-56785

NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.

What is a Fuel Cell?

H2 PEM Fuel Cell
Advantage
High efficiencies for energy conversion
40%-50% electrical efficiency (LHV of H2) 80% including utilization of waste heat

High energy density Indefinite operating time as long as fuel is provided (refuel vs. recharge) Scalable from mW to MW Emission-free for H2 PEMFC Quiet operation

Disadvantage Fuel cells efficiently convert chemical energy into electricity through an electrochemical process without burning Represent an alternative to batteries, generators, internal combustion engines to provide power for portable electronics, stationary, transportation & other applications

Cost Lack of fuel infrastructure

Production Storage Distribution

Objectives Relevance
Assess the technology status in real world operations, establish performance baselines, report on fuel cell and hydrogen technology, and support market growth by evaluating performance relevant to the markets value proposition. Assess Technology
o o o o

Independent technology assessment in real world operation conditions Focused on fuel cell system and hydrogen infrastructure: performance, operation, and safety Leverage data processing and analysis capabilities developed under the fuel cell vehicle Learning Demonstration project Material handling equipment, backup power, portable power, and stationary power. Analyses and results relevant to the markets value proposition Reporting on technology status to fuel cell and hydrogen communities and other key stakeholders like end users

Support Market Growth

o o

Hydrogen Secure Data Center Approach

Bundled data (operation & maintenance/safety) delivered to NREL quarterly Internal analysis completed quarterly

DDPs

Results

Confidential
Detailed Data Products (DDPs) Individual data analyses Identify individual contribution to CDPs Only shared with partner who supplied data every 6 months1

Public

CDPs

Composite Data Products (CDPs) Aggregated data across multiple systems, sites, and teams Publish analysis results without revealing proprietary data every 6 months2

1) Data exchange may happen more frequently based on data, analysis, and collaboration 2) Results published via NREL Tech Val website, conferences, and reports
4

Backup power CDP count and category

Deployment (1, 2, 3, 14) Fuel Cell Operation (5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15) Fuel Cell Reliability (4, 10)

Infra. Operation (6)

Deployment: 75% sites are between 4 6 kW

250 Capacity by Site

75% 200

Number of Sites

150

100

50

0 0
NREL cdp_bu_14 Created: Sep-28-12 10:46 AM

6 Capacity [kW]

10

Inf

Deployment: Over 1.45 MW capacity is deployed with 649 systems

1500
700

Deployed kW Capacity for Backup Power

Backup Power Fuel Cell Systems Deployed

1449 1378

1453

600

Cumulative Systems 1,2 Deployed

500

Cumulative Deployed Capacity [kW]

400 625 494 200 232 357 204 647 649

1000

300

1065

100

0
NREL cdp_bu_01 Created: Sep-13-12 11:59 AM

44 31 14 14 10 2009 Q32009 Q42010 Q12010 Q22010 Q32010 Q42011 Q12011 Q22011 Q32011 Q42012 Q12012 Q2
1) Sites may have more than one FC system 2) Not all FC systems are supplying operation data

761

500 444

500

0
NREL cdp_bu_02 Created: Sep-13-12 11:59 AM

70 70 50 2009 Q32009 Q42010 Q12010 Q22010 Q32010 Q42011 Q12011 Q22011 Q32011 Q42012 Q12012 Q2

104

130

Deployment: Sites in 15 states

State Arizona California Colorado Connecticut Florida Georgia Illinois Indiana Kentucky Massachusetts Michigan New Jersey New York South Carolina Utah kW Capacity 84 567 24 121 6 50 4 50 22 10 164 110 186 50 36 Sites 16 122 5 26 1 1 2 16 4 1 40 27 44 1 9

Backup Power Deployments

>100 91-100 81-90 71-80 61-70 51-60 41-50 31-40 21-30 11-20 1-10

Totals
NREL cdp_bu_03 Created: Sep-28-12 10:47 AM

1484

315

Number of Sites in State

Site Capacity (line height proporational to installed site kW capacity)

Reliability: 99.5% successful starts

220 200 180 160 140 Starts 120 100 80 60 40 20 0
NREL cdp_bu_04 Created: Sep-13-12 6:37 PM

Starts by Month Starts Conditioning Start Successful Start

1

150 135 120 105

1526 of 1533 Starts Successful (99.5%) 52% Conditioning Starts

90 75 60 45 30 15 0

07 /0 08 9 /0 09 9 /0 10 9 /0 11 9 /0 12 9 /0 01 9 /1 02 0 /1 03 0 /1 04 0 /1 05 0 /1 06 0 /1 07 0 /1 08 0 /1 09 0 /1 10 0 /1 11 0 /1 12 0 /1 01 0 /1 02 1 /1 03 1 /1 04 1 /1 05 1 /1 06 1 /1 07 1 /1 08 1 /1 09 1 /1 10 1 /1 11 1 /1 12 1 /1 01 1 /1 02 2 /1 03 2 /1 04 2 /1 05 2 /1 06 2 /1 2

Calendar Month

1) FC system conditioning is an automated operation for regular system checks; activitated after long periods of no operation.

Reporting FC Systems
9

Reliability: Only 7 unsuccessful starts out of 1,533 attempted starts

Unsuccessful Operation Categories EStop: 1

No Fuel: 1

System Failure: 5

NREL cdp_bu_10 Created: Sep-28-12 10:29 AM

10

Operation: Runtime hours tend to be low due to low required operation but some months and systems see high operation time
60
120

System Operation Hours

Run Hours by Month Run Hours Conditioning Hours 100
1

50

845 Total Runtime Hours

Calculated Runtime [hours]

Number of Systems [%]

40

80

60

Max system hours = 51.5 25% of systems have hours > 10.3

30

40

20

20

REL cdp_bu_05

0
NREL cdp_bu_13 Created: Sep-28-12 9:43 AM

10

15

20

07 /0 08 9 /0 09 9 /0 10 9 /0 11 9 /0 12 9 /0 01 9 /1 02 0 /1 03 0 /1 04 0 /1 05 0 /1 06 0 /1 07 0 /1 08 0 /1 09 0 /1 10 0 /1 11 0 /1 12 0 /1 01 0 /1 02 1 /1 03 1 /1 04 1 /1 05 1 /1 06 1 /1 07 1 /1 08 1 /1 09 1 /1 10 1 /1 11 1 /1 12 1 /1 01 1 /1 02 2 /1 03 2 /1 04 2 /1 05 2 /1 06 2 /1 2

10

1) FC system conditioning is an automated operatio

25 30 Operation Hours

35

40

45

50

Inf

11

Operation: Systems are capable of extended runtimes (72-hour capacity)

100 90 80 70 60 Continous System Run Time 30

Starts<=60 mins [%]

25 20 15 10 5 0 0 50 40 30 20 10 Continuous Run Time [Mins] 60

Starts [%]

50 40 30 20 10 0 0 1 2 3

Max Continuous Run Time = 29 hours

NREL cdp_bu_09 Created: Sep-28-12 9:34 AM

7 6 5 4 Continuous Run Time [hours]

10

Inf

12

Grid outages: Association of system starts and grid outages

Some states see double digit grid outages a year with a few hours per outage Often an outage has had extended down time Couple fuel cell system operation data with OE-417 Electric Emergency and Disturbance (OE-417) Events, 2010-2012*

Submissions of all Electric Emergency Incident and Disturbance Reports (OE-417), http://www.oe.netl.doe.gov/oe417.aspx
13

14

15

16

Operation: Automatic system operation is capable of rapid restarts as well as long durations between starts
30 Time Between Starts

25

20

Frequency [%]

15

10

0
NREL cdp_bu_11 Created: Sep-28-12 9:29 AM

Days

14

28

31

Inf

17

Operation: 42% of starts occur off-peak between midnight and 5 a.m.

25

System Starts by Time of Day

Conditioning1 Starts Starts

20

15

Starts [%]
10 5 0 0
NREL cdp_bu_08 Created: Sep-13-12 12:04 PM

10

Time of Day

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

1) FC system conditioning is an automated operation for regular system checks; activitated after long periods of no operation.

18

Operation: Systems demonstrated operation in a wide range of ambient temperature with a keep warm strategy in ambient conditions below freezing
20 18 16 14 Ambient Temperature at Start

Frequency [%]

12 10 8 6 4 2 0 <0 0 5 10 15 30 25 20 Ambient Temperature [oC] 35 40 45 50

NREL cdp_bu_12 Created: Sep-13-12 12:06 PM

19

Cost of ownership: Example of annualized cost analysis for material handling that will be applied to backup power systems

Maint. Warehouse Space Fuel Fueling Labor Infra. Hardware

CDP Ref #: 58

20

Cost of ownership: Backup power

Fuel Cell* Diesel + o Reliability Gathering data on: + Capital Cost ($/kW) Site Description ++ ++ Extended Run Time System Description ++ Emissions System Requirements + Noise + Capital Cost ~ Environmental Operating & Maintenance + Weight Cost + Efficiency Operating Lifetime + Annual Fuel Cost for fuel cells, batteries, and + Annual Maintenance Cost generators ++ Maintenance Frequency + + Refurbishment + Conditioning Tests + Operation Lifetime ++ Battery + ++ -++ ++ ~ ++ ++ ++ ? -~ --

*Tax credit $3,000/kW or 30% total

21

Fuel Cell Backup Power Operating reliability in 15 states with 99.5% successful starts Maximum continuous run time of 29 hours due to an unplanned grid outage Aggregated data showcases growth over the last two years
Jennifer Kurtz jennifer.kurtz@nrel.gov 303-275-4061

All published results can be found at http://www.nrel.gov/hydrogen/proj_fc_market_demo.html

22

Backup Slides

23

Created: Sep-13-12 12:04 PM NREL cdp_bu_06

Hydrogen kgs Consumed

60 70 80 10 20 30 40 50 0 76.9 kgs Total Consumed H2 30,222 scf Total Consumed H
2

CDP-BU-06 Cumulative Hydrogen Consumed by Month

Cumulative Hydrogen Consumed by Month

Calendar Month
24

07 /0 08 9 /0 09 9 /0 10 9 /0 11 9 /0 12 9 /0 01 9 /1 02 0 /1 03 0 /1 04 0 /1 05 0 /1 06 0 /1 07 0 /1 08 0 /1 09 0 /1 10 0 /1 11 0 /1 12 0 /1 01 0 /1 02 1 /1 03 1 /1 04 1 /1 05 1 /1 06 1 /1 07 1 /1 08 1 /1 09 1 /1 10 1 /1 11 1 /1 12 1 /1 01 1 /1 02 2 /1 03 2 /1 04 2 /1 05 2 /1 06 2 /1 2

CDP-BU-07 Fuel Cell System Starts by Day of Week

35

System Starts by Day of Week

30

25

Starts [%]

20

15

10

0
NREL cdp_bu_07 Created: Sep-13-12 12:04 PM

Sun

Mon

Tues

Day

Wed

Thur

Fri

Sat

25