With two additional Power Conditioning Systems delivered to FuelCell Energy, Inc in July and September, respectively, ABB Power Electronics now has delivered a total of four units to the Danbury, CT based manufacturer of fuel cell power plants. ABB recently shipped a 1.5 MW PCS and a 250 kW PCS, and has received another order from FCEL for an additional ABB 250 kW PCS to be delivered later this year.
"Fuel cells are a clean, quiet, efficient and reliable power generation source," said Anders G. Troedson, director of ABB Inc, Power Electronics. "These orders are the best indication that the technology is moving toward the production-and-full-utilization stage."
ABB's Power Conditioning Systems, custom designed for FuelCell Energy, feature extremely compact inverters, built with ABB's high-performance ACS 600 technology, and utilize fast-switching IGBT semiconductors. FCEL, which manufactures fuel cell stacks and the independent power plants they are used in, utilizes ABB's inverters to convert the DC current generated by fuel cells into AC current.
(FuelCell Energy's patented Direct FuelCell® -- DFC® -- power plants generate electricity with no combustion. In effect, they are like large, continuously operating batteries that generate electricity as long as fuel, such as natural gas or coal-derived gas, is supplied. Since the fuel is not burned, there is no pollution commonly associated with the combustion of fossil fuels. Also, the high efficiency leads to more electric power from less fuel and with fewer emissions. In many states, fuel cells are being classified as the equivalent of renewable technologies such as wind and solar.)
ABB provided its very first converter, a 300 kW unit, to MC-Power's 1994 demo project in Berea, CA. In 1999, an ABB 250 kW inverter was part of the DFC power plant FCEL installed to power the company's headquarters facility in Danbury.
ABB Power Electronics continues to manufacture their state-of-the art PCS Power Conditioning Systems for a variety of power generation customers, both OEMs and utilities. From ABB's standard-product family, the PCS 600, with its small footprint, modular hardware and advanced software features, enables ABB to engineer and produce "customized packaging solutions in record time at very cost-competitive rates," according to Troedson. "Advanced technology and extremely reliable electrical components are built in."
The PCS 600 covers the power range from 50 kVA up to a maximum of 4000 kVA per unit. Multiple units are paralleled for system ratings greater than 4000 kVA. PCS product lines are optimized for 220, 480, 575, 600, and 690V low-voltage applications; for medium-voltage applications up to 69kV, step-up transformers are used. ABB's global presence as a technology leader also makes it easy to provide local service and maintenance support throughout the world, Troedson said.
