- The Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation unit of the Japanese electronics giant has deployed a 3.5 kW hydrogen fuel cell system at its Michinoeki-Namie site in the Fukushima prefecture.
- The H2Rex system will be used for power and heating and is set to begin operation in October.
The fuel cell will power lights and air conditioning for part of the facilities and will also provide hot water. Hydrogen is being supplied by the company’s 10 MW Fukushima Hydrogen Energy Research Field (FH2R), nearby. “Hydrogen produced at FH2R is filled into hydrogen bundles and transported to Michinoeki-Namie, which is located less than a 10 minutes’ drive from FH2R,” the company stated.
The system is based on a solid polymer fuel cell stack which eliminates the need for an external humidifier, according to the manufacturer. The stack is internally humidified and dehumidified automatically to keep it at optimum humidity. “Because of this structure, Toshiba’s fuel cells provide high durability and stability,” said the Japanese giant.
Toshiba says the solid polymer fuel cells are capable of tracking load changes because of their ability to change power output and are, consequently, ideal for energy generation applications. The company added, the system can boot up in around five minutes.
Testing at the pilot facility is being conducted with Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization(NEDO), utility Tohoku Electric Power Co Inc and gas supplier Iwatani Corporation.
Toshiba relocated its hydrogen site to the Ukishima area of Kawasaki City in June and said at the time it had delivered more than 120 H2Rex systems for wholesale markets, hotels, convenience stores and sports facilities.
Author: Emiliano Bellini
This article was originally published in pv magazine and is republished with permission.
