AFC Energy (AIM: AFC), the leading alkaline fuel cell power company, announces the successful results of an 18 month Ammonia to Power (“A2P”) trial and confirms plans to conclude work on the business case and engineering of an integrated, scalable ammonia fuelled clean power generator.
The system, which expects to utilise existing ammonia cracking technology alongside AFC Energy’s proprietary fuel cell system, would enable the use of AFC Energy’s fuel cells in off-grid locations where electricity would be generated through the consumption of ammonia; a low-cost commodity chemical that is readily available in industrialised and developing countries.
Highlights
- Proof of concept for the use of AFC Energy’s fuel cell system with cracked ammonia fuel to provide clean electrical power in remote, off-grid applications where premium power prices are available
- Negligible difference in fuel-cell performance witnessed between direct hydrogen gas sourced from industrial gas companies, and that sourced from cracked ammonia
- Ability to utilise “off the shelf” ammonia crackers readily available in today’s market without the need for further research and development costs that would otherwise likely delay go to market strategies
- Completion of full third-party safety review demonstrates safe operation of the integrated system
- Clear ability to scale up power production with increases in the size of the cracker capacity and fuel cell to deliver multi-MW solutions for powering remote or off-grid communities
- Work has commenced on the design and business case for an integrated power system that is fully consistent with AFC Energy’s approach to the identification of third party hydrogen solutions within its off-grid power generation unit
- Uses commodity ammonia as fuel that is readily available as one of the world’s most produced inorganic chemicals for its use as a fertiliser.
The displacement of off-grid stationary diesel gensets is a stated commercial opportunity for the deployment of AFC Energy’s alkaline fuel cell system. The availability of low-cost hydrogen gas however has been an obstacle to deployment to date of fuel cells in more remote, off-grid locations.
AFC Energy’s ability to accept lower grade, and therefore lower cost, hydrogen derived from readily available ammonia is a key advantage not only to the off-grid deployment of its fuel cell system, but also in the logistical sourcing of the fuel in locations where hydrogen is not easily available.
Initiated under the EU Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Jont Undertaking (FCH JU) co-funded ALKAMMONIA project, AFC Energy has successfully demonstrated an integrated power generation unit at its UK facilities, bringing together a small-scale ammonia cracker with the Company’s own alkaline fuel cell system.
In an independent socio-economic study conducted within the ALKAMMONIA project by the eminent Paul Scherrer Institute of Switzerland, the Institute confirmed “the ALKAMMONIA system provides a viable alternative to current diesel generators”, supporting AFC Energy’s early assertion that the Company’s fuel cell systems are able to hit a price point that could favourably compete, taking into account economies of scale and subject to localised ammonia supply logistics, with conventional diesel generation in today’s market.
Adam Bond, Chief Executive Officer at AFC Energy, said “The successful integration of the Company’s fuel cell system into an upstream hydrogen stream sourced from cracked ammonia is not only a unique selling point of the alkaline fuel cell, but also is a logical means to the unlocking of the multi-billion dollar off-grid stationary power market. The results of this demonstration, highlight the potential of ammonia as a long-term fuel to support the deployment of the Company’s alkaline fuel cell system, displacing diesel gensets and offering an alternative fuel source to the Company’s new Electric Vehicle charging unit. Utilising ammonia as a fuel is wholly consistent with AFC Energy’s review of integrated fuel and power generation systems for off grid power generation and should be a key differentiator for us in our go to market strategy in this ever growing target market.”
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