Fuel-cells are not only going to be practical, but they're also here now and are shaping up as the next big answer in backup power. That's the message from MGE UPS Power Systems, in an announcement made in New York Oct. 9 of the field trials for their Evolution UPSes supported by a hydrogen-based technology from Ballard Power Systems. With last August's power blackout and the greatest city in the world as a backdrop, even the least skeptical might have detected a bit of a Barnum & Bailey presentation. Perhaps cartoonish, too, given that the MGE presentation was punctuated with two working models with outboard cannisters that made it all look a bit odd, and with the UPS setup emanating some weird noises during startup.
But I came out of the talk convinced MGE will go all the way because it has the infrastructure in place. "The traditional way of providing backup power is not working," said Jack Pouchet, director of marketing at MGE, referring to the growing myriad situations in which there are more unexpected system responses. "Fuel cells are closer than you think, and a 30-kVA UPS (having appropriate fuel-cell backup) is around the corner," he said.
MGE's present test vehicle is a line-interactive 3-kVA system backed up by Ballard's scalable Nexa RM Series of 1-kW modules. Each module, developed specifically for rack-mounting from the company's original AirGen fuel-cell generator product, delivers plus/minus 24 volts at up to 40 amps. It's based on the company's proton exchange membrane (PEM) technology. The hydrogen, provided in standard 31- or 51-inch-high cylinders, comes from Praxair, which has a multitude of facilities in the United States and Canada.
While fuel cells promise green technology (byproduct is water), long run-times and the solution to the high cost and future availability of fossil fuels, just as much emphasis is on saving rack space over what battery backup requires. MGE's system seems one that solves the problem for the rack itself, but total savings in real estate seems questionable when accounting for the space occupied by the cylinders. Still, it's early, and future systems will undergo a physical metamorphosis. Discounting those who cast a wary eye toward those being able to generate hydrogen in quantity, the next biggest issue is cost. That's a non-issue now, says MGE, whose fuel-cell analysis shows that the 10-year cost of ownership, compared with battery backup, will be slightly less.
Vincent Biancomano covers power products for ProductWeek. Contact him at 103520.355@compuserve.com.
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