Methanol fuel cell takes on diesel genset market

The infrastructure that powers our mobile communications is generally off-grid, with telecom companies rolling out thousands of small diesel gensets each year to keep cell towers and other equipment running. Instead of diesel, Blue World’s CellPack Stationary runs on methanol, delivering 5, 10 or 15kW continuous output depending on the configuration.

Based on high-temperature PEM fuel cell technology, it has a system efficiency of 38-40 per cent. It also operates without NOx, SOx, or particle emissions, with CO2 being the only harmful by-product. If powered by renewable methanol made using captured carbon, the CellPack Stationary can run as carbon neutral.  

“We are, with the many advantages of the CellPack Stationary system compared to fossil-based gensets but also other fuel cell solutions in the market, presenting a strong green alternative for power generation”, said Mads Friis Jensen, co-founder and chief commercial officer at Blue World Technologies.

“In general, the fuel cell technology has great potential in various markets, especially within heavy-duty transportation and the maritime sector, but that are still years from commercial roll-out. On the market for smaller gensets, we can make a significant difference now bringing down CO2 emissions and air pollution. So, this is where we start, one generator at a time.”

The CellPack Stationary consists of a base unit combined with either one, two, or three 5kW power modules. The system can also be installed as a hybrid solution and paired with renewable energy sources such as solar cells or wind turbines. As the fuel cell system has few moving parts, noise and vibration levels are low, making it suitable for operation in densely populated areas as well as off-grid locations. As well as providing environmental advantages, the product will also be competitive against existing diesel generators, according to Blue World.

“We are experiencing strong traction from potential customer searching for alternatives for diesel generators,” said Prabhakar Tunuguntla, product director of CellPack Stationary at Blue World Technologies.

“But it is not enough to reduce CO2 emissions and air pollution, it must also be good business for them. So that is what we are providing with the CellPack Stationary system, a methanol fuel cell-based power generator, that gives our customers a lower operating expense and total cost of ownership compared to diesel generators, we expect that the unique features and strong business case of our system will enable us to accelerate to mass adoption of this product within the coming years.”