News

LOGANEnergy Launches CHP Fuel Cell Project

June 29, 2004 by Jeff Shepard

LOGANEnergy Corp. (Roswell, GA) announced the startup of a 600 kWe fuel cell installation that it developed for A Partners LLC (Fresno, CA), a real estate firm. The fuel cell power block harnesses three PC25C power plants manufactured by UTC Power (South Windsor, CT) and is located adjacent to the real estate company's 12-story Guaranty Savings Building in downtown Fresno.

LOGANEnergy President Sam Logan, Jr. said the new 600 kWe installation was designed to enhance energy security by providing both base load service to the office building and emergency power to support critical electric loads. The system design incorporates a Multi-Unit Load Sharing electronics package and a static switch that permits the transfer of fuel cell power to critical circuits following a grid event.

In addition to power generation, the three fuel cells provide 2.7 MMBtu/h of clean and efficient thermal energy to the building's HVAC loads. In order for this to work effectively, the project developers selected a 100-ton Nishiyodo Adsorption Chiller to cool the first three floors of the building. During cooling months, the chiller draws 1.35 MMBtu/h waste heat from the fuel cells' high-grade heat exchangers to generate 85 tons of equivalent cooling. The same thermal loop doubles as the heat source for all of the facility's domestic hot water. During the heating months, the fuel cells' low-grade heat exchangers provide 1.35 MMBtu/h waste heat to supplement the heat pumps located throughout the building.