Greentech Lead U.S: WATT Fuel Cell Corp., a developer and
manufacturer of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) systems, announced enhancements to
its small stationery fuel cell system platforms for commercial and military
applications.
These include refinement of the company’s cell
manufacturing process, reduction of costs in cell and stack production and
balance-of-plant components, completion of system testing on a 500-watt
propane-powered unit, and preparation for initial product rollouts in 2013.
“The market value of fuel-based distributed
generation technologies is estimated to reach $74.3 billion by 2015*,” said Dr.
Caine Finnerty, president of WATT Fuel Cell. “Poised to address this demand, we
have taken a holistic approach in our development of a reliable, cost-effective
technology platform that can run on readily available fuels.”
Over the last two years, WATT Fuel Cell has developed
advanced portable and small stationary power systems that provide light,
efficient, affordable, nearly silent and environmentally responsible energy
generation solutions for on-demand power applications in the leisure, portable
power and distributed generation markets of both the residential and commercial
sectors.
WATT Fuel Cell has also begun stack production and is
further scaling up this process to support several channel partner commitments
in preparation for initial product rollouts.
The company has also refined its patented cell
manufacturing process, substantially reducing production times while increasing
part quality, performance and yield. WATT Fuel Cell is currently using this
advanced manufacturing process to validate the economic viability and reaffirm
the cost competitiveness of its systems while escalating from pilot to low-rate
initial production.
The company is presently scaling into full-rate
production at its manufacturing facility on Long Island. In addition, WATT Fuel
Cell has made progress in designing cost-effective stacks and balance-of-plant
(BoP) components for fuel cell system operation.
WATT Fuel Cell is currently producing propane-powered
stacks capable of generating more than 500 watts of power, has completed
initial system testing and is currently scaling its new cell technology for
full-rate stack production. In addition, WATT Fuel Cell plans to demonstrate
propane-powered 1-kilowatt systems by the end of this year.