Fuel cell appliance gets field trial

Ceramic Fuel Cells and Central Gippsland Institute of TAFE announce an agreement for Australia's first field trial of a fuel cell powered micro-CHP (combined heat and power) generator appliance.

CFCL is Australia's only commercial developer of fuel cell systems and has teamed up with GippsTAFE for its expertise in training in the electrical, gas, energy, water and telecommunications industries.

The prototype trial will be conducted at GippsTAFE's Chadstone campus, in Melbourne's south-east, by a subsidiary Energy and Telecommunications Training Australia (ETTA).

The trial will also use the expertise developed by GippsTAFE in its association with the Latrobe Valley electricity generation industry.

Julian Dinsdale, executive chairman of CFCL, said the fuel cell units are designed for efficient, reliable, constant and environmentally friendly 'mini-generators' on site in homes, offices and farms, reducing reliance on large, centralised electricity generators.

Currently units use readily available natural gas, and have the potential to use renewable fuels such as ethanol of biogas. The current 1 kW appliance is suitable for use in the standard home, and in the future they can also be scaled up to suit a range of power outputs," he said.

The field trial is for an initial period of three months and may be extended.