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

Ceramic Fuel Cells' fuel cell technology a "clean technology option for the future" - RMIT University study

Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited

03 May 2011

Monday 2 May 2011

Ceramic Fuel Cells' solid oxide fuel cells can deliver significant benefits in electricity production and carbon reduction to thousands of Australian buildings, a team at RMIT University's Centre for Design has found.

The high quality of power and reliability of electricity generated from fuel cells - which can deliver electricity without large surges, spikes and outages - mean they have great potential in industries like banking, data centres, grocery chains and storage facilities. Fuel cells are also cost-efficient alternatives to batteries in serving as back-up power systems.

Deepak Sivaraman, Simon Lockrey and Andrew Carre - authors of Potential Opportunities for Increased Fuel Cell Deployment in Australia: A Ceramic Fuel Cell Case Study - determined that Ceramic Fuel Cells' technology could be utilized in many ways to either aid buildings earn energy and low carbon accreditation or comply with new, green building codes.

Over the past decade in Australia electricity demand increased at an annual average rate of 2.7%. Each year in Australia around 200 million tonnes of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere from electricity and heat production from non-renewable resources.

According to the RMIT report, the transition to a low carbon electricity sector in the future is "very necessary", and can be achieved using both renewable and low carbon technologies.

"The solid oxide fuel cell technology manufactured by Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited (CFCL) is a clean technology option for the ... future," the report says. "Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited (CFCL) is a global pioneer in manufacturing solid oxide fuel cell technology. It is a co-generation system: it has the flexibility to generate different amounts of electricity and heat from natural gas inputs."

The paper explores the following federal and state regulatory structures, which cover a variety of buildings including homes, offices, hotels, retail outlets, schools, libraries and hospitals.

-- National Australia Built Environment Rating System (NABERS)

-- Green Building Council of Australia; Green Star Rating Tool

-- Australian Building Codes Board: Alternate Energy Supply for Hot Water

-- New South Wales Energy Efficiency Scheme

-- Green Star Public Building Pilot Tool

-- NSW BASIX Program

The RMIT paper explains that the NABERS and Green Star Rating system (Green Building Council of Australia) awards higher ratings to the buildings based on the difference in carbon intensity between onsite fuel cell generation and grid electricity generation.

The authors recommend that states with more carbon-intensive electricity grids such as Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia and Victoria be targeted for fuel cell deployment. Under the NABERS scheme a typical commercial building using high efficiency fuel cells to produce 100% of its electricity needs will obtain a five-star rating - the highest possible (the study example uses a 100 m(2) 'market average performing' commercial building, or 2.5 stars on grid electricity, in NSW).

The report also concludes that solid oxide fuel cells can also be used under the New South Wales Energy Efficiency Scheme and NSW BASIX Program to create greenhouse gas abatement certificates. In the case of the New South Wales Energy Efficiency Scheme these certificates can be sold for a market price. Under the NSW BASIX Program the fuel cell technology can be utilized to comply with state regulations - in both new and existing buildings.

Similarly, the technology can also be used to supply hot water to different types of buildings under the Australian building code framework. The latest Green Star Public Buildings Tool makes a provision for low carbon technologies to be utilized, enabling buildings to earn credit points through reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The RMIT report is available at www.cfcl.com.au