Why Fuel Cells for Telecoms Backup is a Good Call – a report from FuelCellToday

FuelCellToday, The leading authority on fuel cells, has recently published a report on why fuel cells are the right move for telecom tower backup power.

Article excerpt:

The fuel cell is a versatile and scalable enough technology to fulfil power requirements in almost any imaginable application. In India there are 65,000 BTS being installed each year. However, these regions are subject to underdeveloped and unreliable electricity grids that threaten to jeopardise connectivity, creating an increasing demand for reliable grid-support and off-grid power solutions.

But what if a backup power system didn’t require any fuel at all Acta in March 2013 signed a distribution agreement with MVS Energy Solutions, a new business division of MVS Engineering Ltd, India’s largest supplier of industrial gas equipment and solutions, for the distribution of fuel cell backup power solutions with on-site hydrogen generation. The appeal, in particular for remote areas, is obvious: electricity from solar panels or small wind-turbines (or grid electricity if available) is used by an electrolyser to generate hydrogen, continuously replenishing the fuel cell’s store of fuel and allowing for an entirely autonomous system.

About Acta S.p.A.

Acta S.p.A. is a developer and manufacturer of a range of clean energy products. Its product line includes market-leading compact hydrogen generators (electrolysers) which produce pure, dry and compressed hydrogen in a way that is easy-to-use and completely safe, and the Company is committed to integrating its award-winning electrolysers with renewable energy sources.

Acta’s cost-competitive electrolysers are based on its proprietary, inexpensive environmental catalyst and hydrogen conversion technologies. These products help overcome the barriers to the adoption of fuel cells, most notably the lack of a local hydrogen infrastructure. They are also applicable in non-fuel cell hydrogen and oxygen applications, including oxy-hydrogen gas welding systems, where the Company is generating significant commercial interest.

Acta’s low-cost hydrogen generators represent a unique breakthrough in electrolyser technology. They can operate using mains power or intermittent renewable energy, and produce clean, dry hydrogen already at pressure for use in fuel cell and other applications. This unique combination of features avoids the system complexity and energy cost of further cleaning, drying and compression of the hydrogen, resulting in a simple, compact, low-cost and highly efficient system that is ideally suited for energy conversion and storage applications. In such applications, which include battery replacement and renewable energy storage, low cost and high efficiency are critical to commercial viability, while hydrogen compression is essential for the energy density of the system. No other water electrolyser currently on the market offers this combination of benefits.

Acta is focusing on delivering its products to markets with high volume demand for high-value environmental solutions (transport, back-up power, energy and leisure). It is accelerating the commercialisation of its products via partnerships with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), distributors, and agents in these sectors, and intends to drive down production costs at high volume via contract manufacturing.

Acta S.p.A. is based near Pisa, Italy, and was admitted to trading on AIM in October 2005.

About MVS Engineering Ltd (parent company of MVS Energy Solutions)

Since its inception in 1977 MVS Engineering has been at the forefront of technology and has supplied over 7,000 units worldwide. The company is a turnkey supplier of air and gas equipment and has been a market leader in developing and executing on-site systems for continuous uninterrupted supply of high purity gases and dry air. MVS Engineering has technical collaborations with some of the world’s leading engineering consultants and technology companies, including CarboTech AC GmbH, Hy9 Inc, Proton OnSite and MEDAL (Air Liquide).

MVS Engineering is India’s largest manufacturer of gaseous Nitrogen Generators and Hydrogen Generators. MVS is already very well known in India for its complete range of Hydrogen Generators utilizing a multitude of technologies including Water Electrolysis, Ammonia Cracking, Natural Gas Steam Reforming (SMR), Methanol Cracking and Bio-gas purification. MVS is associated with the world’s largest PEM Water Electrolysis Hydrogen Generators company – Proton OnSite (USA) – and with a European technology leader for SMR and MeOH Crackers.

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