Siemens Westinghouse Power Corp. (Orlando, FL) announced that it has signed a contract with BP to install a 250kW solid-oxide fuel cell (SOFC) at BP's gas-to-liquids test facility in Nikiski, AK. The prototype SOFC system will be installed in 2003 and will use natural gas as its fuel.
BP plans to use about 150kW of the unit's output to power the warehouse and administration building of the gas-to-liquids facility. The US Department of Energy (DOE, Washington, DC) is providing funding assistance with a $2.0 million grant requested by US Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska.
"BP's SOFC system will be the second prototype of our first commercial product, and will be a scaled-up version of the 100kW system that has operated so successfully in Europe," said Thomas Voigt, president of the stationary fuel cells division of Siemens Westinghouse. "It will also be the first SOFC plant to be operated outdoors, and the Alaskan climate should be a good test of its capabilities."
