BlueGen units to be used in Virtual Power Plant Project in The Netherlands

19 June 2012

Tuesday 19 June 2012

View a Bluegen overview here

BlueGen units to be used in Virtual Power Plant Project in The Netherlands

Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited (AIM / ASX: CFU) - a leading developer of high efficiency and low emission electricity generation products for homes and other buildings - is pleased to announce a project in The Netherlands to create a Virtual Power Plant using Ceramic Fuel Cells' BlueGen gas-to-electricity generators.

BlueGen units are planned to be installed with customers across the Netherlands to create a new community of distributed energy producers, connected through the internet and operated as a Virtual Power Plant.

Ceramic Fuel Cells is supporting its distribution partner BlueGeneration that is working on the project with Liander and IBM. This team will start designing a platform on which the Virtual Power Plant can run. During the design phase BlueGeneration, Liander and IBM will design the technical requirements and define the use cases for the platform.

Liander is a Dutch regional network operator, distributing electricity to 3.0 million customers and gas to 2.3 million customers in a large part of the Netherlands. IBM will provide the necessary system integration to control the BlueGen units remotely. IBM's extensive experience in the field of Smart Grids enables the collaboration to implement and scale up the platform.

The project partners have entered the first phase of the project, with three BlueGen units installed with energy consultants' KIWA Gastec for testing at their facilities in Apeldoorn. The aim is to test the compatibility with the designed systems and to have a closed and regulated environment for the first tests. During this test phase of approximately one year the influence of extreme modulation cycles will also be examined as well as the impact for the grid operator.

The tests at Kiwa began in April 2012. The partners are currently developing the Virtual Power Plant design, and intend to scale up the project in the second half of this calendar year and into 2013.

A Virtual Power Plant is a cluster of distributed electricity generation units, controlled and operated by a central entity using integrated software systems. A Virtual Power Plant allows power generation to be modulated up or down to meet peak loads and balance intermittent power from wind or solar, with higher efficiency and more flexibility than large centralised power stations.

By incorporating the Virtual Power Plant in Lianders' Smart Grid, Liander will be able to locally balance the demand and supply of electricity. The end customers will benefit from lower energy costs.

Ceramic Fuel Cells' Managing Director Brendan Dow said:

"Clearly, energy generation systems of the future will involve projects like this. We are delighted that companies like Liander and IBM, as well as our partner BlueGeneration, have seen the benefit of pursuing this virtual power plant, which has our highly-efficient BlueGen units as its cornerstone."

Peter van der Sluijs, Liander said:

"In the future we expect more and more customers to produce their own power and coordinate their energy use locally. Virtual power plants are a big step towards more sustainable energy system where local generation has a critical role."

Matthijs Guichelaar of BlueGeneration said:

"This project is the example of how future flows of energy and IT can provide a solid base for renewable and distributed generation. The flexibility of the BlueGen and its high efficient electricity production makes it a very suitable component for the new Smart Grid. When the usage of biogas becomes available, the system will also be carbon neutral. This enables the agricultural sector to efficiently convert their biogas into electricity."

The BlueGen product uses ceramic fuel cells to turn natural gas into electricity and heat for hot water, with each unit capable of producing more than three times the electricity needed to power the average Dutch home. (In The Netherlands an average home consumes an estimated 3,500 kilowatt hours of electricity per year.)

Surplus electricity can be sold back to the grid or used in supplementary applications such as charging electric cars, as well as having the additional benefit of providing heat for domestic hot water use. BlueGen units generate electricity with the highest electrical efficiency of any small scale generating technology in the world, reducing energy bills and cutting carbon emissions.

In the Netherlands customers are allowed to export electricity to the grid when they have a surplus and take it back from the grid later when they need it without being charged with energy tax on this energy. This tax-free interchange has a maximum of 5000 kWh per year.

According to a report from US analyst firm Pike Research, virtual power plant capacity will increase by 65 percent between 2011 and 2017, rising from 55.6 gigawatts (GW) to 91.7 GW worldwide during that period. In a more aggressive forecast scenario, the capacity growth is up to 126 percent during the same period.

Releasing the report in November 2011, Pike Research senior analyst Peter Asmus said: "Virtual power plants essentially represent an 'Internet of Energy', tapping existing grid networks to tailor electricity supply and demand services for a customer. They maximize value for both the end user and distribution utility, primarily through software innovations."(1)

ENDS

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'via Blog this'

E.ON UK ORDERS ADDITIONAL 105 CERAMIC FUEL CELLS' PRODUCTS 28 November 2011

RNS Number : 8480S

Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited

28 November 2011

Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited [AIM/ASX: CFU], a leading developer of high efficiency and low emission electricity generators for homes and other buildings, is pleased to announce that it has received a new 105 unit order from E.ON UK, one of the UK's leading power and gas companies.

E.ON has also reaffirmed that they are committed to working with CFCL to launch integrated power and heating products for the UK market.

New agreements have been signed with E.ON covering both Ceramic Fuel Cells' BlueGen modular generator and the micro combined heat and power unit in development. Each product uses CFCL's Gennex fuel cell module as its core technology.

   BlueGen          (power + hot water) 

E.ON has ordered 41 BlueGen electricity generators to be deployed under the European Union Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking's Joint Technology Initiative ("JTI") fuel cell demonstration programme. The JTI project partners are E.ON, CFCL, Ideal Boilers Limited and HOMA Software BV of The Netherlands. Under the JTI project, the BlueGen units will be installed in homes and other buildings in the UK, Germany and The Netherlands, during early 2012.

Ideal Boilers is an established UK heating company that has produced boilers for over 100 years. HOMA Software is a software house specialising in remote monitoring and control of micro combined heat and power systems.

An additional four BlueGen units will be deployed by E.ON in demonstration and commercial customer sites.

BlueGen is the first and only fuel cell product to receive Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) certification and be eligible for the UK feed in tariff, which provides 10.5 pence per kilowatt hour of electricity generated, plus an additional 3.1 pence per kilowatt hour of electricity exported to the grid. BlueGen customers are also eligible to receive a feed in tariff in Germany and The Netherlands.

BlueGen uses ceramic fuel cells to turn natural gas into electricity and heat for hot water, with each unit capable of producing more than three times the electricity needed to power the average UK home.(1) Surplus electricity can be sold back to the grid.

________________________________

(1) Source: Medium UK household power consumption is 3,300 kWh/year per Ofgem Factsheet 96 18.01.11

   Integrated micro combined heat and power   (power + hot water + home heating) 

CFCL and Ideal are also developing products which provide power, hot water and home heating. CFCL and Ideal have built two prototype units for testing during the 2011/12 heating season.

This completes the development work under the Product Development Agreement signed with E.ON in 2009.

CFCL and E.ON are continuing to work together to develop a range of product configurations for different UK market segments and customer requirements. Once the Product Development Agreement is completed during 2012 the next stage in the parties' collaboration is to negotiate and sign a Product Supply Agreement for commercial products. This is subject to the products performing as expected and to the parties agreeing on the material terms for a commercial product, such as product specification and warranties, pricing, firm order volumes and delivery schedule.

Under the JTI project, Ideal and CFCL will develop up to 60 integrated units, to be installed in homes in the United Kingdom, Benelux and Germany from late 2012. These integrated units will be manufactured by Ideal in the UK.

Unlike BlueGen, these integrated units provide home heating, and will be targeted at the market for replacement home boilers, which in the UK alone comprises 1.6 million(2) units per year.

________________________________

(2) Source: Heating & Hot Water Industry Council Market Updates 2010 - 2011

Brendan Dow, Managing Director of Ceramic Fuel Cells, said:

"Our close working relationship with E.ON continues to strengthen as evidenced by this new order and we continue to discuss new ways of broadening our collaboration together. Ceramic Fuel Cells is right at the forefront in the development of high efficiency fuel cell microgeneration and its integration into today's homes."

Dr Chris Horne from E.ON

"These agreements with Ideal Boilers, CFCL and HOMA Software reflect our ongoing relationship to develop fuel cell based products for the retrofit and new build markets. We are now pleased to commit funding and resources at this critical point in the technology's commercialisation. The additional help of the FCH-JTI funding to extend our field demonstrations into the EU, and optimise the component and supply chain is a significant step in delivering commercial products, building on CFCL's market-leading technology. This technology signals that cleaner, more cost-effective energy in the UK home is closer than ever before."

For further information please contact:

  Ceramic Fuel Cells  Andrew Neilson                   Tel: +61 419 950 771                                   Email: investor@cfcl.com.au    Nomura Code Securities (AIM      Tel: +44 (0) 207 776   Nomad)                           1200  Juliet Thompson, Chris Golden    Australia Media enquiries  Richard Allen, Oxygen Financial  Tel: +613 9915 6341   Public Relations    UK Media enquiries               Tel: +44 (0) 7786 116   Mark Way                         991                                    Email: Mark.W@harvardamerica.com  German Media enquiries           Tel: +49 (0) 69 9218                                    7454  Alex Seiler, Hering Schuppener   Email : aseiler@heringschuppener.com   Consulting     

Ceramic Fuel Cells' BlueGen gas-to-electricity technology wins Microgeneration UK 2011 Technical InnovationAward Thursday 23 June 2011

Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited

23 June 2011

Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited, [AIM/ASX:CFU] a leading developer of high efficiency and low emission electricity generation units for homes and other buildings, today announced its BlueGen gas-to-electricity unit has won the Microgeneration UK 2011 Technical Innovation Award, announced at the culmination of the Microgeneration UK 2011 conference in London.

Microgeneration UK 2011 - which brings together policymakers, investors, suppliers and customers - celebrates the best of the UK microgeneration industry. It is run by Micropower Council, the British Photovoltaic Association and the British Heating and Hot Water Industry Council.

The Technical Innovation Award, one of five categories, was announced at a gala dinner on Tuesday 21 June in London and was presented by Baroness Maddock of Christchurch, President of the Micropower Council.

Baroness Maddock said: "CFCL is playing a key role in pioneering technology that can help provide a source of cleaner, more efficient, low cost energy. Currently collaborating with multiple partners across the globe to help bring cleaner electricity, CFCL is a great example of how innovation within the microgeneration sector can deliver tangible benefits."

Brendan Dow, Managing Director of Ceramic Fuel Cells, said: "We are thrilled to accept this prestigious award, and are delighted that our ground-breaking technology has been recognised by Microgeneration UK 2011. More and more Ceramic Fuel Cells is being recognised as a world leader in the development of fuel cell technology to provide reliable, low-emission electricity from widely available natural gas."

In May 2011, BlueGen won both the 2010-11 'CEO Award' - Dupont Australia and New Zealand's most prestigious innovation award - as well as the 'Design for a Sustainable Future' award, one of seven categories at the biennial DuPont Australia & New Zealand Innovation Awards.

BlueGen uses ceramic fuel cells to turn natural gas into electricity and heat for hot water, with each unit capable of producing more than three times the electricity needed to power the average United Kingdom home. Surplus electricity can be exported back to the power grid. BlueGen also provides heat for domestic hot water use. BlueGen units operate constantly, generating 1.5 kilowatts of electricity plus heat for hot water, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, regardless of weather.

BlueGen has the highest electrical efficiency of any small-scale power generation system in the world, reducingenergy bills as well as making significant carbon savings.

For further information please contact:

     Ceramic Fuel Cells     Andrew Neilson                      Tel: +613 9554 2300                                         Email: investor@cfcl.com.au       Nomura Code Securities (AIM         Tel: +44 (0) 207 776      Nomad)                              1200     Juliet Thompson, Chris Golden 

Ceramic Fuel Cells signs BlueGen sales and service agreement for the UK with the RES Group

RNS Number : 0584H

Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited

23 May 2011

Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited(1) , a leading developer of high efficiency and low emission electricity generation units for homes and other buildings, has signed a distribution agreement with RES On-Site Limited, part of the RES Group(2) , to market, sell, install and service Ceramic Fuel Cells' BlueGen gas-to-electricity units in the United Kingdom.

Under the terms of the non-exclusive agreement RES On-Site will distribute BlueGen, targeting the commercial microgeneration energy market throughout the UK. RES On-Site holds MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) installer accreditations in a wide range of technologies and is adding the microCHP accreditation to this and so will provide installation and after-sales service for BlueGen products. It will also support Ceramic Fuel Cells in developing the market for BlueGen.

The RES Group is a leading international renewable energy company with operations across Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. To date the RES Group has delivered more than 5GW of renewable energy projects worldwide. RES On-Site sells and installs a range of low emission power and heating products for commercial, industrial and public sector customers, including wind, biomass, solar PV and solar hot water.

BlueGen uses ceramic fuel cells to turn natural gas into electricity and heat for hot water, with each unit capable of producing more than three times the electricity needed to power the average home. The UK average domestic power consumption is estimated at 3,300 kWh per annum(3) .

Surplus electricity can be sold back to the grid or used in supplementary applications such as charging an electric car, as well as having the additional benefit of providing heat for domestic hot water use. BlueGen units generate electricity at up to double the efficiency of the current power grid, reducing energy bills as well as making significant carbon savings.

Most recently, BlueGen has been successfully chosen to participate in CE Electric UK's GBP54 million low-carbon Smart Grid project.

Commenting on the announcement, Brendan Dow, Managing Director of Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited said:

"To be working with the RES Group, one of the world's leading renewable energy development companies, is exciting news for CFCL and is yet another endorsement of BlueGen.

"The reputation, expertise and market penetration that the RES Group offers means that we are now even better placed to capitalise on the significant market opportunities that the UK offers."

Mike Atkinson - Managing Director, RES On-Site Limited added:

"RES are delighted to add the world leading BlueGen microCHP product from CFCL to our portfolio of class leading renewable and low carbon energy technologies. This diverse portfolio allows RES On-site to offer our customers the most suitable solution for their specific carbon reduction application.

"The UK Government's tariff structures supporting the deployment of exciting new products such as BlueGen makes the UK a hugely dynamic developing market for renewable technologies and RES On-site is committed to being at the forefront of that market."

Paddy Thompson, General Manager Business Development at Ceramic Fuel Cells added:

"RES On-Site Limited is highly experienced and MCS accredited, and together we are ready to enable BlueGen customers to take full advantage of the microCHP feed in tariff as well as the considerable energy cost and carbon savings made available by BlueGen.

"This is the first UK distributor agreement signed by CFCL and we look forward to working closely with RES On-Site as awareness of the many benefits offered by fuel cell cogeneration grows."

The agreement is in line with Ceramic Fuel Cells' strategy to sell BlueGen units worldwide through a network of distributors and to outsource the sale, installation and service of BlueGen units. The agreement with RES On-Site Limited in the UK follows similar BlueGen distribution agreements with partners in Australia.

- ends -

Notes for Editors

1 - About Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited:

-- Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited is a world leader in developing fuel cell technology to provide highly efficient and low-emission electricity from widely available natural gas.

-- Ceramic Fuel Cells is developing fully integrated power and heating products with leading energy companies E.ON UK in the United Kingdom, GdF Suez in France and EWE in Germany.

-- Ceramic Fuel Cells has also sold 70 BlueGen gas-to-electricity generators to major utilities and other foundation customers in Germany, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Italy, Japan, Australia and the USA.

-- Ceramic Fuel Cells is listed on the London Stock Exchange AIM market and the Australian Securities Exchange (code CFU).

-- For further information: www.cfcl.com.au

2 - About the RES Group

-- RES On-site is part of the RES Group. RES is one of the world's leading independent renewable energy project developers with operations across Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific. At the forefront of wind energy development for over 25 years, RES has developed and/or built more than 5GW of renewable energy projects worldwide.

-- The RES Group is active in a range of renewable energy technologies including large-scale biomass, solar, wave and tidal and on-site renewable installations.

-- For more information, visit www.res-group.com

BlueGen to participate in the UK's largest Smart Grid project 06 May 2011

Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited

06 May 2011

03 May 2011

BlueGen to participate in the UK's largest Smart Grid project

Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited (CFCL) today announced that BlueGen is to participate in CE Electric UK's GBP54 million low-carbon Smart Grid project. Durham University is one of the four partners involved with the project.

CFCL's BlueGen microgeneration heat and power unit will be housed in the Durham Energy Institute research laboratory. BlueGen will run alongside other low-carbon electricity generating technologies and will, via the project, help shape the future for a low-emission, more efficient power grid across the UK.

It is estimated that improvements to the power grid that result from the project could potentially save homes and businesses across the UK around GBP8 billion* in energy costs and 43 million tonnes* of CO(2) emissions. * Source Durham University, 10 October 2010.

The Smart Grid project involves 14,000 homes and businesses and will assess the impact of technologies such as micro combined heat and power units on the electricity grid and lay the foundations for helping electricity consumers to reduce their carbon footprint, cut energy use and save money.

BlueGen converts natural gas into electricity far more efficiently and with lower emissions than the current power grid, providing significant cost and carbon savings.

BlueGen generates electricity that can be used within the home, with the surplus fed back into the National Grid or used in supplementary applications such as charging an electric car, and has the additional benefit of providing heat for domestic hot water use.

The installation of BlueGen will not only prove the benefits of micro cogeneration but will also help Durham University highlight its leading position in the move towards a low carbon economy.

Commenting on the announcement, Paddy Thompson, General Manager Business Development, CFCL said:

"The integration of BlueGen into the Smart Grid project will prove that the technology needed to create a low-emission, highly efficient power grid for the future exists today, and its use is a significant step towards achieving far-reaching cost and environmental benefits for the UK.

"BlueGen has the potential to play a significant role in the low-carbon Smart Grid, and we are delighted that its installation at the Durham Energy Institute is recognition of this potential."

Professor Phil Taylor, Durham Energy Institute, Durham University added:

"We are excited about the opportunity of researching how BlueGen can work alongside other technologies and are grateful to One North East for their support. We fully intend to use BlueGen as part of our low carbon network project."

For further information:

Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited

Paddy Thompson

General Manager Business Development +44 7968 356 439

Mark Way +44 7786 116991

Corporate Communications

For the UK Which domestic renewables incentive is best?

Adam Mactavish of Cyril Sweett provides a brief review of the incentive schemes for domestic renewables

A few years ago only the most dedicated developers (or those with tough planning requirements to meet) contemplated the use of renewable energy in new housing, while only the greenest of homeowners would consider retrofitting them into their properties. The cost, hassle and risks associated with the technologies were just too high.

A raft of new incentive schemes is rapidly changing attitudes. In fact, demand has been so high, with nearly 200MW (or 150 hectares) of large scale “solar farms” in the planning system, that the government has reduced its support for larger scale solar electric (PV) systems (those above 50kWp). Uptake of PV in the domestic sector has been broadly in line with expectations with about 15,000 small (less than 4kW) registered installations at the end of last year.

The same but different
Two incentive schemes are relevant to the domestic sector: feed-in tariffs (FIT) that support the generation of renewable electricity and the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), which focuses on technologies that generate heat. The structure of the schemes is similar, although the funding roots differ, with FITs paid for through utility bills and RHI money coming from government budgets.

From the domestic perspective, the key difference between the schemes is that while FITs are already available you will need to wait until 2012 to be able to claim RHI monies for domestic properties. This is because the RHI is being launched in two phases, the first of which, from 2011, only focuses on larger scale heat installations. In the second phase, from 2012, domestic scale installations will also be eligible for payments. The start of this second phase will coincide with the launch of the Green Deal, meaning that homeowners will be able to undertake both energy efficiency measures and install renewable technologies in a co-ordinated way.

For both schemes, any compliant technologies installed after 15 July 2009 will be eligible for payments, but payments under the RHI will not begin until 2012.

Together, FITs and the RHI provide support for most of the major forms of domestic renewable energy including PV, wind, solar water heating, biomass and ground source heat pumps. One notable omission is the air source heat pump. However, the government has stated it intends to introduce support for this technology for domestic property in the “second phase” of the RHI in 2012.

Some support for the domestic sector is included in the first phase of the RHI. This will take the form of Renewable Heat Premium Payments from a total fund of £15m. The payments will help subsidise the costs of installation in return for information from the households on their experience of using the technology. Details of these payments will be set out in May 2011 with the first payments made in July.

What are they worth?
The support offered by FIT and RHI varies significantly between technology types. The tariffs for typical domestic installations are shown in the table below.




Tariffs for the technologies supported by the RHI are set for larger scale use. This is justified on the basis that larger installations will offer the most cost-effective means of generating renewable heat. It is not clear whether additional domestic-scale tariffs will be introduced before the second phase.

Assessing whether these incentives make renewables a sound investment involves consideration of several factors:

Size

For heating technologies, the appropriate system size will vary according to home type, size and energy efficiency level.
For power technologies the system size will be limited by the extent of roof area.
Installation costs

The domestic renewables sector is establishing itself in the UK. However, costs still vary significantly for the same technologies. Careful assessment of different providers and delivery options is important to getting the right level of cost and risk.
Technologies and installers need to be Micro Certification Scheme-approved.
Allowance must be made for the full range of cost items including, for example, fuel storage for biomass and scaffolding and connection costs (for solar hot water or PV).
For retrofit of technologies into existing homes it is important to consider access and integration of the incoming technology with existing systems. For example, a heat pump system will not work well in a poorly insulated property with radiators.
Running costs

All renewable technologies will require servicing and replacement of components. For “non-essential” technologies such as solar hot water and PV the system must remain operational for tariff payments to continue.
Biomass and heat pump systems will require fuels and this must be factored into any assessment. It is likely that the costs of electricity will continue to rise in the future and probably at a faster rate than gas prices.
Tariff levels

Tariff levels are fixed at the year of installation but are subject to inflation.
Tariff levels are subject to periodic reviews and, in the case of FITs, planned degression - reductions in tariff levels to compensate for predicted reductions in technology costs.
Export income and avoided energy costs

A percentage of the power generated by PV systems will be exported to the grid. This is assumed to be 50%. However, in some cases, for example where nobody is at home during the day, the export percentage may be much higher. All power exported to the grid can be sold at 3p per kWh.
Use of energy from PV or solar hot water within the home will reduce the requirement for fuel or power from the grid. This avoided energy cost can be significant, particularly for properties that are off gas where the heating is delivered using oil or electricity.
Warranty

Many technologies will be supplied with reasonable warranties (for example, 25 years for PV panels). However, it is important to consider the organisation providing the warranty and the fallback position should the organisation fail.
Warranties for watertightness or other associated impacts must also be considered. The NHBC has introduced guidance on the criteria they will consider when assessing whether they will provide a warranty for homes with renewable technologies.
The table attached summarises costs, benefits and returns offered by different systems in a typical new (Part L 2010) end of terrace house (about 75m2). Analysis is based on survey of technology costs by Cyril Sweett for the Zero Carbon Hub.

Conclusion
It is clear that for housing the FIT provides a more valuable incentive than the RHI, partly because the RHI tariff levels are set for maximum system sizes that are larger than would be used in homes. A further factor reducing the cost effectiveness of the RHI in new homes is their low heat demand compared with existing housing and industrial uses. While incentives for using PV remain strong, RHI tariffs for domestic scale technologies will need to be higher if they are to prompt many installations.

As the second phase of the scheme will coincide with the Green Deal we should hope that the opportunity to support investment in energy efficiency and low-carbon heat is maximised.

From building.co.uk

Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited show the Bluegen MCHP at the Ecobuild show London 1-3 March 2011

Ceramic fuel cells limited Bluegen unit was being displayed at the Ecobuild show March 3, 2011 on the E.ON stand. The unit was placed on the side of the stand and was getting interest. The Bluegen had the side and back covers removed so the internals could be seen. E.ON’s stand was in the renewable section of the Ecobuild show which had mainly solar and air source heat pump stands. Paddy was one of the Ceramic fuel cells limited sales staff on the stand and answered most of my questions regarding the Bluegen and E.ON’s adaptation MCHP unit which uses the Gennex fuel stack as its core. E.ON has yet to name their Gennex MCHP adaptation and a release date has not been finalized. Due to this, there is no marketing/advertising program in place. It was interesting why E.ON was displaying the Bluegen as they are not directly marketing it, maybe to gauge interest.



















Ceramic fuel cells rely on their partners such as E.ON, EWE, GDF etc to market the product so at the moment it is a waiting game for them until Bluegen and Gennex MCHP adaptations come to market. As far as they are concerned the Bluegen is a fully tested unit ready for sale to the mass market which is their main target, they want to take the Bluegen / Gennex product global. This is the same case when it comes to the price. There is no price tag on the unit. It will be their partners who will fix their price and whether it is leased to their clients. There is also the service maintenance cost to include. The unit requires a service every 12 months which consists of changing water intake filters and gas intake filters. The Gennex fuel cell module has a life span of 5 years and will require replacing around that time. This is why it may be better to lease the units as this can be included in the lease plan if leasing will be available. Ceramic fuel cells say these units are not for the DIY’er and must be installed and serviced by qualified trained staff.

There maybe some subsidies for the Bluegen and its adaptation. Germany is toying with the idea of adding it to their renewable subsidies but this is not in stone. There is a $1 Bln fund in Germany and with EWE currently testing the unit it is the belief of the Ceramic fuel cells sales staff that Bluegen will eventually get accredited for this. As for shareholders of the company getting a discount they had no comment.

The Gennex fuel stack is the heart of the unit and other adaptations. The system cannot be scaled down (only up) so there is no possibility of a Micro-Micro CHP portable unit. There are other competitors out there including the Whispergen which is not a Ceramic fuel cells limited product. This is mainly for heating and uses a sterling engine to produce power from the exhaust heat. This according to Ceramic fuel cells limited will mean that for 6 months of the year the unit will not produce much power to sell back to the grid where Bluegen is mainly geared to power generation. The Bluegen has the advantage as it can easily be configured to use other hydrocarbon gases such as shell gas, hydrogen, methane, bio gas etc.

The Bluegen product is ready, all Ceramic Fuel Cells need to do is sell it to the masses. It is cutting edge technology that can only get better with time. There are no plans for Ceramic fuel cells limited to use the Gennex technology for other applications other than MCHP units. There is also the installation and maintenance training that will be required by their partners, which is what some of them are doing now. With E.ON needing to order 100000 units, between 2012 to 2018 to keep exclusivity it is up to them to get a foothold in the UK market not Ceramic fuel cells limited.


Photo: E.ON stand © Sean Orion
Composed @ EcoBuild London © Sean Orion 2011

Protesters celebrate after beauty-spot wind farm scrapped

Published Date: 02 March 2011
By JOHN ROSS
CAMPAIGNERS fighting plans for an offshore wind farm at Kintyre have welcomed the news that the project has been abandoned.
Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) has decided to halt work on the development and instead concentrate on a site off Islay.

SSE was granted exclusive rights to develop both sites by the Crown Estate in 2009.

The Kintyre site, 2km off Kintyre,ADVERTISEMENT

west of Machrihanish, was earmarked for a 378MW, 105-turbine development which would cover about 70sq km. An application was expected to be submitted in early 2012.

But the company said site survey work and consultations identified factors that led it to decide not to proceed further. These include the proximity to Campbeltown Airport and communities and the impact on recreational sailing.

SSE says survey work shows the Islay site, 13km off the west coast of the island, is suitable for the development of a viable wind farm, although it presents challenges from difficult weather and seabed conditions.

However, SSE says these can be overcome and it expects to submit an application to develop the site to the Scottish Government around the end of 2013.

Colin Hood, chief operating officer of SSE, said: "Having assessed the wind resource, listened to the concerns of local residents, businesses and other stakeholders, and having regard to the impact of Campbeltown Airport and the recreational sailing community, we believe our decision to halt the development of the Kintyre site is the responsible course of action to take. We are grateful to everyone who took part in our consultations on the project.

"Islay has massive potential to contribute to the Scottish and UK governments' renewable energy targets. Our proposed timetable for developing this site will allow time for the innovative development of the offshore technology and construction techniques necessary to build a wind farm in such a challenging environment."

Mr Hood said SSE remained committed to developing offshore wind power in the UK - with wind farms at Greater Gabbard, off the Suffolk coast, and Walney, off Cumbria, producing their first electricity in January.

The firm also has plans to develop offshore sites at Galloper, off Suffolk, and Beatrice, off the east coast of Scotland, with applications expected within the next 12 months.

The Kintyre Offshore Windfarm Action Group (KOWAG) was set up to oppose the proposed development. It argued that the scale of the planned development would destroy views and harm tourism, with knock-on effects on golf and sailing in the area.

The group also said the project would impact on house prices, harm the marine environment and bird life, and affect the livelihoods of local residents.

Bob Miller, vice-chairman of KOWAG, said he believed the campaign had a huge influence on the U-turn: "We are delighted to hear of the decision by SSE.

Sheffield has big hopes to become the UK’s very first self-sufficient energy city

Apparently Sheffield has big hopes. In fact, the city is hoping to become the UK’s very first self-sufficient energy city, according to UK energy minister Chris Huhne. On top of all of this, this deal has already been given Huhne’s full support.

While the energy minister was visiting the city, he stopped by the University of Sheffield. It is here where they are working on world leading research in sustainable technology. Overall, the goal is to come up with technology that can help a city become fully sustainable.

His visit to this city follows an announcement made by the Sheffield City Council and energy company E.ON. They have announced that they are working hard to form a city-wide partnership that will help the city produce enough renewable energy to become self-sufficient. Overtime, the long-term goal would be for the city to produce enough energy that it could even sell some excess energy back into the national grid.

So this brings up the question, why is E.ON choosing to partner with Sheffield over other cities. Apparently E.ON has chosen Sheffield because of its international expertise on developing renewable energy technology, pretty much meaning that E.ON has faith that Sheffield has the willpower to make such a scheme work.

This is a big deal in the making. The overall goal of the government would be to see other cities make these kind of deals with other energy companies. Overtime, all cities could become self-sufficient and, thus, would be able to supply their own energy. Then all of the excess energy that the UK makes could be sold to other countries.

British Gas profits rose by 24% to a record £742m last year

British Gas has ignited customer criticism after reporting its profits rose by 24% to a record £742m last year.


The announcement was made two months after the company raised prices by 7%, during the worst winter in a century.
Around eight million British Gas customers were affected by the December 10 increase, and saw their average annual bills rise from £1,157 to £1,239.
Adam Scorer of Consumer Focus told Sky News: "Millions of households are suffering from fuel poverty which is when 10% of their income goes on the cost of keeping warm and powering the lights."
"I think when consumers see the size of these profits you can expect them to be somewhere on the spectrum from very frustrated to outraged."
Centrica Share Price 1-Year Chart


Sam Laidlaw, chief executive of Centrica - which owns British Gas - said the energy industry was in a volatile situation with commodity prices, but his company would do all it could to keep bills as low as possible.
He said British Gas would help reduce bills by providing free loft or cavity insulation to customers who buy its electricity as well as its gas.
But speaking to Sky News, British Gas' managing director Phil Bentley seemed to open up the offer to all customers - not just those who were "first in, first served".
But a company spokesman later clarified his comments by saying any customer could apply for free loft or cavity wall insulation as long as they did so online before the end of May.

British Gas is part of the energy giant Centrica
The offer was also limited to 200,000 households, the company said.
British Gas added 270,000 customers last year and is the UK's biggest gas supplier with 16 million customer accounts.
It is owned by energy giant Centrica which also revealed record figures, with its operating profits up by 29% at £2.4bn.
Centrica says recent prices increases were down to soaring wholesale prices.
The company also claims British Gas prices were 0.5% lower at the end of 2010 than at the start of the year after the supplier cut bills by 7% in February.
Ofgem, the energy watchdog, is leading an investigation into the energy giants' balance sheets after discovering average profit margins had increased as companies claimed they had no choice but to lift bills.

E.ON has been named one of the 100 best employers in Germany.

E.ON has been named one of the 100 best employers in Germany. E.ON also achieved an excellent 5th place postion in the category "Companies with over 5,000 employees" in the coveted Great Place to Work® Institute "Deutschlands Beste Arbeitgeber 2011" awards. This is the 8 time E.ON, one of the largest power and gas companies in Europe, has been successful. The award recognizes attractive employers with a special quality and was conferred by the Great Place to Work® Institute Germany and the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs at an award gala in Berlin.


Regine Stachelhaus, member of the E.ON AG Board of Management said: "Our ranking among the top 5 employers in Germany is an award for our HR work. We will not let up in our commitment to create attractive working conditions and development possibilities in order to offer our employees a rewarding working environment and, in an increasingly tighter market, to continue to remain among the best for recruiting talent."


As part of the nationwide employer competition, seven German E.ON companies participated in an anonymous employee survey. The key assessment criteria were credibility, respect and fairness, identification of the employees with and the team spirit in the company. In addition, the activities and concepts of the company’s HR work were analysed and assessed in a ‘culture audit’.


A total of 290 companies from all branches of industry, size categories and regions applied for the quality seal " Deutschlands Beste Arbeitgeber 2011". They were subjected to a thorough examination and an independent assessment of their quality and attraction as employers. The Great Place to Work® Institute Germany surveyed a total of some 120,000 workers.

The annual study and the competition " Deutschlands Beste Arbeitgeber" are conducted by the Great Place to Work® Institute Germany in cooperation with the New Quality of Work Initiative (INQA), the University of Cologne and the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. The "Handelsblatt" newspaper and "personalmagazin" are the media partners.

UK Feed in Tariff (FIT's) for Ceramic Fuel Cells Bluegen MCHP

UK Feed in Tariff

During the half-year (2010) the Company continued to make progress towards having BlueGen certified under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (“MCS”) in order to access the UK Government’s feed in tariff. All microgeneration products must be accredited under MCS in order to be eligible for the UK feed in tariff.
In the December quarter a new MCS standard for electricity led micro combined heat and power units was developed, approved and published. Ceramic Fuel Cells was
instrumental in instigating and promoting this new standard which is an essential
requirement for accreditation under MCS. The existing standards applied to micro heat and power products which maximised heat output. This new standard applies specifically to micro heat and power products whose primary purpose is to generate electricity, with domestic hot water being an additional output. During the December quarter the Company also successfully completed a range of tests required by the MCS.

BlueGen was successfully tested under the PAS67 standard - the British Standards
Institution standard for tests to determine the heating and electrical performance of microcogeneration packages. This testing confirmed that BlueGen provides hot water for domestic use as well as significantly reducing net carbon emissions when compared to a modern condensing gas boiler and electricity from the UK grid. BlueGen was also tested by an independent body for its noise output.

In December the MCS auditor, BRE Global, conducted a factory assessment at Ceramic
Fuel Cells’ production facility in Melbourne. The Company expects the review of the data provided during this site visit to be completed during the March quarter, and additional procedures to be implemented during the June quarter in order for BlueGen to be formally accredited under MCS.

Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited Highlights Of 2010

Financing Activities

In August 2010 the Company undertook a placement of 95.3m shares at a price of 10.5 pence (approximately 18.25 Australian cents) and raised the equivalent of AUD 17.4m. In September 2010 the Company made an offer to shareholders on the same terms and issued a further 70.3m shares and raised an additional AUD 12.8m. The net amount raised from both fundraising rounds after transaction costs was AUD 28.9m. During the half-year the Company’s investment in inventory has increased from AUD 1.1m in June 2010 to AUD 4.9m at December 2010. This increase will be directed to fulfilling the existing order backlog and to meet expected future sales.

Operational Overview

Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited is a leader in developing solid oxide fuel cell technology to provide highly efficient and low-emission electricity from widely available natural gas (and other hydrocarbon fuels in the future). A fuel cell is an electricity generator that converts gas into electricity and heat through an electrochemical reaction, without combustion or noise. Fuel cells can provide significant environmental benefits through high efficiency and low emissions.

Global energy markets are facing a transformation. Peak demand for energy is rising, requiring significant investment in new power generation and grid infrastructure. However there is widespread agreement that greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation must be reduced. These forces create a very large global opportunity for low-emission energy technology, like solid oxide fuel cells, which can be deployed using the existing natural gas and electricity infrastructure. These market forces also encourage a move away from large centralised power stations towards ‘distributed generation’, where small scale power stations are installed close to where the power is used, with no transmission losses.

Ceramic Fuel Cells’ products have achieved electrical efficiency of 60 percent at the point of use, which the Directors believe is higher than any other electricity generating technology. When heat is recovered from the electricity production process, total efficiency is up to 85 percent – twice as efficient as the average among current European power stations.

This very high efficiency can significantly cut carbon emissions from power generation. There is now widespread recognition that maximising electrical efficiency is the key to creating the most value from small scale power and heating products, and the Directors believe the Company’s achievements can create a strong competitive advantage in this very large global market.

Customers and Products
The first products powered by the Company’s fuel cells are small scale units for homes and other buildings that produce up to two kilowatts of electricity as well as heat for hot water or space heating. In order to cater for different markets and customers, the Company is developing two products in parallel: integrated combined heat and power (mCHP) units, as well as a modular generator product called BlueGen. Both products use the Company’s Gennex fuel cell module and share many ‘balance of plant’ components, allowing the Company and its partners to create different products and customer offerings from the same core technology platform.

Integrated mCHP – Power + Heating + Hot Water
During the half-year the Company continued to develop fully integrated mCHP products with its European utility and appliance partners, including EWE AG in Germany, E.ON in the United Kingdom and GDF SUEZ in France. In these partnerships, Ceramic Fuel Cells supplies its Gennex fuel cell modules to appliance partners, which integrate them with high efficiency boilers into single integrated units to convert natural gas into power, hot water and space heating for homes. The appliance manufacturer or the utility then sells or leases the mCHP unit to the homeowner.

The highlight of the half-year was the Company securing a conditional order in December 2010 for up to 200 integrated mCHP products from German energy service provider EWE. This is the largest order the Company has received, with total revenue of up to EUR 4.9 million over two years. EWE will install the units in homes in the Lower Saxony region in northern Germany. EWE is one of the largest utilities in Germany, with 6,400 staff and revenues of EUR 5.8 billion. Based in Northern Germany, EWE also has operations in other German states as well as Poland and Turkey.

The order is conditional on EWE receiving partial funding under the German
government’s national hydrogen and fuel cell technology innovation program. This
Government program is providing EUR 700 million between 2008 and 2018. EWE has
submitted a formal funding application and a positive decision is expected in early 2011. Subject to EWE obtaining Government funding and to the units meeting agreed performance targets, EWE will order 70 units for delivery in 2011 and 130 units for delivery in 2012. The performance targets, unit prices and the rates for ongoing service and support have been agreed in a contract signed by EWE and the Company.

This is a significant follow-on order from EWE, the Company’s longest standing utility customer. The Directors are confident that the German government will support the project and we look forward to updating shareholders in due course. Apart from Germany, during the half-year the Company continued to operate integrated power and heating units in the United Kingdom and France. In the United Kingdom, the Company is in discussions with its utility partner E.ON UK to
finalise the details of the next stage of product deployment. In February 2009 the Company and E.ON agreed the profile of a future volume order for mCHP units. Subject to the Company meeting agreed price and performance targets, E.ON UK will place a minimum order of 100,000 units from 2012-2018 in order to retain exclusivity for Ceramic Fuel Cells’ mCHP products in the UK market.

In France the Company is working with GDF SUEZ, one of the world’s largest diversified energy utilities and the dominant gas utility in France (with 11 million customers in France). The Company has successfully built and operated integrated units with GDF SUEZ and its appliance partner De Dietrich Thermique (now part of the BDR Thermea group). In December 2010 the partners agreed to the next stage of the product rollout, in which Ceramic Fuel Cells and BDR Thermea will build the next generation of product for testing by GDF SUEZ. This version of the product will use the same core Ceramic Fuel Cells components, which BDR Thermea will tightly integrate with a high efficiency boiler into a physically smaller unit.

BlueGen sales – Power + Hot Water
Apart from the integrated product, the Company has also developed a modular power and heat generator called BlueGen, to provide low emission power plus heat for hot water. One BlueGen can provide about double the electricity the average home needs – excess power can be exported to the grid – plus hot water for an average family’s needs. Like the integrated product, BlueGen uses the Company’s Gennex fuel cell module to achieve electrical efficiency of 60 percent – far higher than any other small scale electricity generator.

During the half-year the Company continued to receive orders for BlueGen units from leading energy companies and other foundation customers. To date the Company has received orders for 63 BlueGen units, from customers in Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Italy, Japan, Australia and the USA. A total of 21 BlueGen units are installed and operating in customers’ sites.

Highlights during the half-year and up to date include:
The Company has sold its first BlueGen units in Italy, to leading energy company Edison S.p.A. Edison will install one BlueGen unit at its test laboratory and then at its headquarters in Milan, and will install two further units with customers when modifications to the unit’s power management system are completed to comply with Italian grid requirements. Edison is one of Italy’s leading electricity and gas companies, with 2009 revenues of EUR 9 billion.

In December the Company sold three BlueGen units to E.ON UK. One BlueGen will be
installed in early 2011 at the E.ON training centre in Tipton, where E.ON’s Property Services department trains its staff in the installation and maintenance of gas and electrical appliances. The other two BlueGen units will be installed at demonstration sites. The Company believes that the BlueGen installation at the E.ON training centre will be particularly beneficial. Having a well trained network of installers and service technicians is critical to deploying BlueGens and integrated mCHP products in larger volumes, and to receiving accreditation in order to access the UK feed in tariff. During the half-year the Company received further orders from leading Germany energy companies, including EIFER (the European Institute for Energy Research) and EnBW, the third largest utility in Germany, and Gasag, based in Berlin. BlueGen has been accredited by the relevant German Government authority (BAFA) and BlueGen customers in Germany are now eligible to receive the feed in tariff for small power and heating products

Feb 17 (Reuters) - Power Assets Holdings Ltd (0006.HK) is considering a 3.5 billion pound ($5.6 billion) bid for British power network assets of Germany's E.ON AG's (EONGn.DE) (EONG.AS), although no decision has been made, local newspapers reported on Thursday.

The company, part of the business empire of tycoon Li Ka-shing, changed its name from Hongkong Electric Holdings Ltd on Wednesday to reflect the growing importance of its overseas business, including a stake in Britain's second-largest power grid.

Managing director Tso Kai-sum said the company, controlled by Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings Ltd (CKI) (1038.HK), "was studying bidding documents", the South China Morning Post reported.

Tso declined to say whether it would team up with CKI to bid for the assets. Power Assets and CKI are both under Li's ports-to-telecoms conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa Ltd (0013.HK). They teamed up last year to buy EDF Energy. Plc's (EDF.PA) British network for 5.775 billion pounds.

Li was one of more than two bidders still in the race for the asset and E.ON was keen to complete the transaction in the first quarter, a source familiar with the deal told Reuters last month. [ID:nTOE70N024] (Reporting by Alison Leung; Editing by Chris Lewis)