ClearEdge Power vs. Bloom Box

ClearEdge Power has snagged $73.5 million from investors towards their small-scale fuel cells.

ClearEdge Power was established in 2003 and is an innovator in the clean energy market. They, like Bloom Energy, have used their knowledge of fuel cells to manufacture compact power and heating systems that can be used for several residential homes or to power a small commercial building.

The fuel cell generators ClearEdge create can range from 5kW to 60kW. Mike Upp, the ClearEdge VP of sales and marketing,said that a 34-square-foot installation of ClearEdge units could produce the same amount of heat and power as a 3,200-square-foot solar installation. The fuel cells are powered by natural gas.

Fuel cells are devices that convert fuel into electricity through a clean electro-chemical process rather than dirty combustion.

The technology is intended to reduce energy bills of customers, improve the energy efficiency of homes and businesses, and reduce carbon emissions.

The $73.5 million is through Series E financing and the sale of new shares to investors like Artis Capital Management, Gussing Renewable Energy, Southern California Gas Company and Sempra Energy.

The money is intended to create growth of the company and increase customers. The money is also to help ClearEdge eventually expand internationally and create more commercialized products.

ClearEdge Power’s President and CEO, Russell Ford, says, “This new investment provides the capital necessary for ClearEdge Power to build on our already strong foundation by entering new markets, advancing our technology and commercializing new products."

The company has created an additional 150 “high-tech” jobs in the last three years. And the company has continued to obtain new customers both residential and commercial.

ClearEdge Power has experienced revenue growth year-after-year with growth of more than 480 percent by the end of the second quarter of 2011.

ClearEdge stock is still not available at this time, but investors should be on the lookout as this company continues to grow.

http://www.energyandcapital.com/articles/clearedge-power-vs-bloom-box/1745

Sandy Springs Corp to Manage Defense Project for Backup Emergency Electricity

Logan Energy will develop and manage the $6.6 million project for the Department of Defense and Department of Energy.

The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers has contracted Sandy Springs-based Logan Energy to develop and manage fuel cell projects that will test an emergency backup electricity system.

Nineteen backup power systems will be deployed at nine different military installations. The $6.6 million project is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Department of Defense.

The experimental program will test how the fuel cells perform in real world operations, identify any technical improvements manufacturers could make to enhance performance, and highlight the benefits of fuel cells for emergency backup power applications, according to a statement by Energy Secretary Steven Chu. The ultimate goal is to hasten the day the systems are available for widespread use.

"Based on our decade's long experience with government fuel cell programs, we believe this one will not only stimulate [broad] markets but also private sector markets toward broader adoption of fuel cell products and applications," said Keith Spitznagel, Logan Energy's SVP of Marketing, in a press statement.

Logan Energy is a private fuel cell services company that specializes in carrying out such projects. The company will oversee four manufacturers - ReliOn, Inc. of Spokane, Washington; Altergy Systems of Folsom, California; Idatech, LLC of Bend, Oregon; and Hydrogenics Corporation of Ontario, Canada.

"Projects like these fuel cell systems will help reduce fossil fuel use and improve energy reliability at military installations across the country,” added Chu, in his press statement.

Fort Bragg, N.C. is one of eight military installations where the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Department of Defense will test an emergency backup electricity system.

Known as fuel cells, the system is design to deliver cleaner, more reliable energy than traditional systems.

The fuel cells could have benefits in combat, too.

“America's military pays a high price in terms of added costs, risk of life, and lost operational flexibility to deliver fuel supplies and power to combat forces,” said a spokesperson in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. “Reducing or replacing fossil fuels with clean energy technologies like fuel cells can help address these vulnerabilities and improve energy security at military facilities across the U.S. and ultimately across the globe.”

The spokesperson asked that her name not be used in this report.

Compared with diesel generators, which are often used for backup power, fuel cells use no petroleum, are quieter and produce fewer pollutants and emissions. Fuel cells also typically require less maintenance than either generators or batteries, and can easily be monitored remotely to reduce maintenance time. Their cost has been an issue, but tests like the one at Fort Bragg are designed to bring down costs.

The other military installations that will receive the fuel cell backup power units are:

• Fort Hood, Texas
• The U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York
• Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland
• Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey
• Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Base, Colorado
• U.S. Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center 29 Palms, California
• The Ohio National Guard, Columbus, Ohio

Military tests fuel-cell backup power systems

U.S. military bases are required to keep functioning even if there’s a power failure, so typically they have backup systems that run on diesel. 



But as part of a push to go green - which the military says will make soldiers less vulnerable and help and improve energy security - eight bases around the country will getting fuel-cell backup power systems, the government announced.


The demonstration project is a product of a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) memorandum of understanding reached in July 2010 that is intended to "enhance national energy security and demonstrate leadership in transitioning America to a low carbon economy."

The departments said the fuel-cell project will provide an opportunity to "see how fuel cells perform in real world operations, identify any technical improvements manufacturers could make to enhance performance, and highlight the benefits of fuel cells for emergency backup power applications."

A total of 18 fuel cells will be installed, going in at Fort Bragg, N.C.; Fort Hood, Texas; the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.; Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.; Picatinny Arsenal, N.J.; Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Base, Colo.; the U.S. Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Calif.; and the Ohio National Guard. 



The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will collect performance data for the first two years of the five-year demonstration project, the departments said, with that data being made available to "fuel cell developers and commercial and government leaders interested in adopting this technology."

Fuel cell technology, while having significantly higher start-up costs than traditional batteries or generators, requires less maintenance, runs quieter and can be easily monitored from a remote location, the departments said.

The hope is that with targeted fuel cell demonstrations, the scale of deployment of fuel cells will increase, helping improve the economics of the technology and leading to more widespread adoption and use.

http://www.tgdaily.com/sustainability-features/57513-military-tests-fuel-cell-backup-power-systems