Demonstrating the Business Case for Biogas-Fueled Stationary Fuel Cell Power Systems at Wastewater Treatment Facilities

The U.S. Department of Energy Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) presentation will discuss its collaborative efforts with public and private stakeholders to develop and demonstrate the business case for biogas-fueled stationary fuel cell power systems at wastewater treatment facilities. Commercial deployments of biogas-fueled stationary fuel cell systems have been completed in several locations, including wastewater treatment facilities at the City of Tulare and at the Orange County Sanitation District, both in California. The integration of fuel cells with bio-methane from anaerobic digester systems at wastewater treatment facilities has been used to generate power and heat for onsite needs, power for export back to the grid, and hydrogen to fuel fuel-cell powered vehicles. These biogas fuel cell projects are being deployed in real world operations and provide a foundation for growth through additional installations at other wastewater treatment facilities. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has been exploring the challenges and developmental pathways for accelerating and expanding the commercialization of biogas and stationary fuel cells at wastewater treatment facilities. The DOE's overall objective is to identify strategies and actions that could enable wastewater treatment facilities to couple renewable bio-methane with highly efficient fuel cells to produce electricity, heat, Combined Heat and Power (CHP), and Combined Heat, Hydrogen and Power (CHHP) for stationary and motive applications. FCTO's presentation will provide a status report and share findings on the technical and economic challenges and benefits of using fuel cells at wastewater treatment facilities.