(Credit: Pixabay)Atmos Energy recently completed the installation of a natural gas-powered fuel cell at its corporate data center to generate high efficiency, grid-independent electricity with low emissions. The 460-kilowatt fuel cell generates electricity and heat through an electrochemical process with no combustion or moving parts – allowing it to deliver up to 90% system efficiency and much lower emissions, or emissions-free when coupled with renewable natural gas or carbon offsets.
According to the manufacturer, a natural gas-powered fuel cell offsets approximately three times more carbon dioxide than either solar or wind thanks to the fuel cell’s high efficiency, high-capacity factor, and very low or zero emissions. A fuel cell also uses much less land than other renewable energy projects, generating nearly 500 times more power per square foot annually than solar or wind.
Fuel cell energy has gained in popularity over the last several years. Just yesterday, GenCell Energy and RedHawk Energy Systems LLC announced a partnership to deliver GenCell’s zero-emission fuel cell backup power systems to support critical infrastructure requirements in the US rail and other key industry sectors.
