Environmental Engineering Reference
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Hydrogen-powered fuel cells have great potential as a clean and
cost-competitive source of electricity. As this technology gets closer to
widespread commercialization, there is concern that the use of fuel cells is
being slowed by conflicting local and regional safety and building codes.
Unresolved issues such as conformance with electrical, plumbing,
fuel-management, and emissions rules and other safety considerations
could hinder the efforts of companies that manufacture, sell, and install
natural-gas-powered fuel cells for residential, industrial, and commercial
applications.
Companies such as United Technologies Corp. (UTC), Ballard Ener-
gy Systems, Plug Power, M-C Power, AlliedSignal, and Siemens-Westing-
house have been developing fuel cell products for the commercial market
and may be impacted by this trend.
There are existing standards covering electrical, fuel handling, and
pressure issues applicable to fuel cells. But, there are almost no standards
in place that address fuel cells specifically.
The standards that do exist, such as those provided under American
National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z21.83, only cover part of the product
market. In the installation of fuel cells for residential use, the ANSI stan-
dard does not apply. If it were, some of the requirements could be exces-
sive and push up costs. The standard may also miss problems unique to
residential users.
Besides the interest in safety, installation, and operational standards
for fuel cells, there's also a demand for performance standards measuring
energy output, fuel consumption, efficiency, and emissions.
The establishment of standards is important to product acceptance
and broader public understanding of the overall safety of fuel cells.
RESIDENTIAL FUEL CELLS
Residential fuel cells have potentially huge markets in North Amer-
ica and other parts of the world. Plug Power, LLC, a joint venture of DTE
Energy Co., Mechanical Technology Co., of Latham, N.Y., and General
Electric began mass production of 7-kW residential fuel cell units in 2001.
The fuel cells are based on proton exchange membrane technology. Com-
petitors include Ballard, UTC, and others.
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