Gledhill joins domestic SOFC project

Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) developer

(CFCL) has selected Blackpool-based

as its

appliance partner.

Gledhill will join the project CFCL is undertaking with E.ON UK to develop and deploy 1kW micro-combined heat and power (m-CHP) units for the UK market.

The three companies will work together to develop a fully-integrated m-CHP unit, which incorporates CFCL's fuel cells, for the residential market. According to CFCL, these units are designed to power homes efficiently while reducing carbon emissions.

CFCL will supply a NetGen+ unit for operation with a boiler and a specially designed thermal store to produce an 'Alpha' prototype which will then undergo a field trial. The NetGen+ unit is scheduled to be delivered by December 2007 and the Alpha unit is to be developed in the second quarter of 2008.

Mark Foster, managing director of Gledhill Water Storage said 'We are pleased to be a partner on such a highly prestigious development. This recognises the key role of intelligent thermal storage systems in maximising the performance of alternative energy sources.'

Brendan Dow, managing director of CFCL, said: 'Climate change is an issue that requires urgent attention, and we are proud to be working on developing a solution to address the environmental impact of modern power generation, through reducing carbon emissions from the home.

‘This agreement completes our initial partnering objectives in Europe, with four utility and four appliance partners in place across four key markets. We look forward to working with both E.ON UK and Gledhill in our drive for cleaner power generation in the UK.'