A pilot plant for an innovative fuel-cell technology officially fired up last Thursday in a southeast industrial area.
Global Thermoelectric Inc. wants to move a solid-oxide fuel cell (SOFC) product from the laboratory bench to consumer sales. It hopes to have a model ready to join the furnace in your basement in a few years.
Fuel cells directly convert chemical energy into electricity. There is no combustion so there are almost no sulphur oxides produced, and less carbon dioxide for the amount of power produced, says Global.
The fuel cell will work in conjunction with, rather than replacing, the furnace.
The prototype unit at the plant opening was about the size of one and a half furnaces. Company president Jim Perry says the company aims to shrink the units to about the size of a washing machine and have them cost about the same as a furnace. It will meet the hot-water needs of an average household and supply basic electricity needs. Extra electricity will be drawn from your utility provider as needed.
Global can make about 50 fuel cells a day and plans to raise that to 250 a day by late summer. The plant’s capacity is about 1,000 fuel cells a day.
The 25-year-old Calgary company was founded to commercialize thermoelectric generator technology developed for the American space program. It’s now the world’s largest manufacturer of the devices, used to provide power in remote locations. It also makes heaters for uses such as crew compartments in armored vehicles and cargo bay heating in trucks.
Global trades as GLE on the Toronto Stock Exchange, where it closed Friday at $18.10.
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