Share this...

Pinterest Linkedin Reddit StumbleUpon Tumblr

FuelCell Energy Inc. announced the start of the fuel cell biogas project in California.

The Tulare biogas project, located in the Californian city Tulare, has begun commercial operation at the wastewater treatment facility. It is a 2.8-megawatt (MW) fuel cell project from Connecticut-based FuelCell Energy Inc., a company that prides itself on being a global leader in providing innovative, affordable and clean fuel cell solutions for the supply, recovery and storage of power.

The project is considered to be a milestone.

The Tulare biogas project is more than just a renewable power facility. According to the company’s press announcement it also supports the achievement of FuelCell Energy’s clean sustainability goals.

While biogas is a form of alternative energy and is created from biological waste, such as landfill waste, livestock waste, agricultural waste, etc., if not produced using technologies to prevent emissions, biogas is often considered to be a dirty renewable energy. The reason is it produces air pollution that is similar to natural gas, including greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions like carbon dioxide, methane and other pollutants.

That being said, the newly operational power plant in Tulare uses SureSource fuel cell and proprietary gas treatment systems to improve the reliability and efficiency of its renewable biogas applications.

The Tulare biogas project produces clean, renewable and carbon-neutral energy.

What makes the particular facility in Tulare unique is that it is fueled by the city’s biogas. This biogas is treated by the SureSource Treatments system. This is a cleanup technology created by FuelCell Energy for on-site biogas treatment.

With the fuel cell installed, the biogas no longer needs to be flared, a processe which wasted energy and generated GHG emissions. As such, the plant is able to use the city’s biogas and generate clean and renewable carbon-neutral power.

Additionally, the installed fuel cell system utilizes a natural chemical reaction versus a combustion approach to produce power, which dramatically lowers the NOx (nitrogen oxide), SOx (sulphur oxides), particulate matter and carbon emission profile in the San Joaquin Valley.

What’s more, the SureSource system will provide clean, renewable heat to the wastewater plant’s anaerobic digesters, providing even greater carbon emissions reductions and boosting sustainability.

“I am proud of our team for delivering the Tulare Biogas Project,” Jason Few, President and Chief Executive Officer, FuelCell Energy Globally, stated in the company PR. “Our solution delivers renewable and affordable power at a scale that is meaningful to communities and the utilities that serve them.”