A fuel cell produces clean, quiet vibration-free heat and power. It can be used to operate everything from power plants and laptops to vehicles.
Fuel cells combine oxygen from the air with hydrogen to produce electricity and water. The result is clean energy and very little pollution.
This 200 kW unit is a phosphoric acid fuel cell and is the first commercially operated high-voltage fuel cell in Canada. The energy production efficiency of this fuel cell is about 65% - much higher than other heat engines. Because of the high efficiency of these units, phosphoric acid fuel cells are typically used for emergency back-up power in offices, hospitals, and other institutions, or as the main power supply in remote locations. Currently, there are several hundred phosphoric acid fuel cells in operation around the world ranging from 0.2 to 20MW electric.
The electricity produced in this fuel cell is used in NAIT’s power system. The heat produced is used to heat the swimming pool and showers in the Activities Centre. The NAIT Fuel Cell Applied Research Project gives Edmonton a stake in an emerging technology that could one day transform the province – and the planet.