Monday 25 September 2017

Fuel cells ‘could slash domestic energy costs by £400’

A new fuel cell technology could allow households to cut energy costs by up to £400 and slash carbon emissions by two tonnes a year.

Developer Ceres' SteelCell home units convert natural gas into electricity and heat at a high efficiency rate, providing enough power to supply an electric vehicle (EV) and reduce demand on the grid.

They are also able to use sustainable fuels like biogas, ethanol or hydrogen.

The firm has completed a year-long field trial across five family homes for a year in London and the South East.

The prototype units provided around 80% of the average household’s energy needs with near-zero harmful emissions.

The company hopes they will help balance the rapidly growing demand being fuelled by EVs and the data centres needed to enable increasing digitisation.

Phil Caldwell, CEO of Ceres Power, said: "These are very encouraging results which illustrate the huge potential of fuel cell technology. We know the grid is coming under ever increasing pressure.

"The SteelCell offers a highly efficient and flexible answer, producing reliable power which will complement our growing reliance on renewables."