Transcript Slide 1

The VPS Energy Storage Solution—
Unitized Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Electrolyzers
(SOFCEL)
Robert Stokes, PhD
President & CEO
Versa Power Systems Inc.
Littleton, Colorado
Denver, CO
14 October 2011
Company Overview


Versa Power Systems is a private
company based in Littleton,
Colorado
.~$110 million in product
development projects through
2011- non-dilutive
$32.2
$50.0
Current $0.5
equity holders
$19.7
VPS Ownership
US Government
Current owners
Copyright © 2011 Versa Power Systems. All Rights Reserved.
Industry
GLE/Enbridge
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Company Overview- 32,000 ft2 of research & pilot
manufacturing facilities
 Pilot manufacturing and fuel cell development
 As-received powders → cells → stacks → stack modules
Tape Casting
One Step Co-Firing
Copyright © 2011 Versa Power Systems. All Rights Reserved.
Screen Printing
Test Infrastructure
3
VPS’s 32,000 square foot facility contains stack product
development infrastructure
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VPS’s 17,000 square foot facility contains systems product
development infrastructure
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5
Versa Power Systems’ Projects
 U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory
– FuelCell Energy is project prime
– Development and supply of SOFC technology for operation on gasified coal
– Scale-up and R&D of large SOFC systems
• Large area cells and high kW stacks
 VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
– Demonstration of 10 kW natural gas powered system
– Supply of 10 kW SOFC module for integration and testing with
VTT balance of plant
 Wärtsilä Finland Oy
– Joint development of SOFC power plants for stationary and marine applications
 U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
– Reversible SOFC / SOEC materials development
– kW stack demonstration
 U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
– Boeing is project prime
– Development and delivery of high efficiency energy storage system for
un-manned aerial vehicle
– Reversible SOFC / SOEC operation, high specific power, ultra high efficiency
Copyright © 2011 Versa Power Systems. All Rights Reserved.
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DARPA Vulture II / Boeing Project
 Overall objective is to develop
technology that will enable an
airborne payload to perform
uninterrupted intelligence,
surveillance, and reconnaissance
over an area of interest
– pseudo-satellite capability, in
an aircraft package
– 5 year aloft
http://boeing.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=1425
 Versa Power Systems to deliver a high efficiency, light weight, energy storage systems
(ESS)
– In the System trade studies-- SOFCEL identified as best fit
– VPS ESS systems enable continuous flight: 90 day, full-flight demo
 Program complete early 2014, follow-on programs possible
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So- how does Energy Storage using SOFCEL get applied,
commercially?
 Unitized, Solid Oxide Fuel Cell/Electolyzers (SOFCEL) are energy storage and
conversion devices. They are capable of operating in both power generation mode
(SOFC) and electrolysis mode (SOEL)
 SOFCEL can integrate renewable production of electricity and hydrogen when power
generation and steam electrolysis are coupled in a system, which can
–
–
turn intermittent solar and wind energy into “firm power”…
or, can turn intermittent power into peaking power, to offset gas turbine peaking plants, and
allow coal plants to run baseload.
e-
e-
Power
ee-
e-
O=
e-
2O= —u O2 + 4e-
Anode
Electrolyte
e-
H2O
_
O2
O2
O=
O=
2H2O +
2H2 +
Copyright © 2011 Versa Power Systems. All Rights Reserved.
2O=
+
H2
H2
+
O2 + 4e- —u 2O=
Electrolyte
Anode
Cathode
4e- —u
Cathode
2H2 + 2O= —u 2H2O + 4e-
Load
ee-
O=
e-
_
H2O
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The Market Opportunities: the promise for a multifunctional
energy storage facility
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Baseload arbitrage,
Transmission support,
Energy services, and
Renewable energy storage/peak load arbitrage
e.g.: Renewable Energy Sales into Peak Market Prices-- With Energy Storage
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The NREL Study Conclusion
 Lowest Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE):
– Compressed air energy storage (CAES)
– Pumped Hydro
 Summary:
– Hydrogen is competitive with batteries and
could be competitive with CAES and pumped
hydro in locations that are not favorable for
these technologies.
 An appendix to the NREL Study evaluated the
VPS Unitized, SOFCEL:
– “Integration of electrolysis and fuel cell
functions into a single piece of equipment
could:
• Reduce capital cost
• Increase utilization
• Improve round-trip efficiency”
– LCOE? Almost ties CAES and Pumped
Hydro; beats the others.
Copyright © 2011 Versa Power Systems. All Rights Reserved.
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Summary
 Encouraging results are being obtained in the area
of SOFCEL
o Cell materials development on-going to improve steady-state
SOEL degradation and cyclic performance
o SOEL stack operation demonstrated, however more
development required
 Analysis to define system based operating conditions are under
development
 Electricity and Stabilityo It's what the electric power transmission system needs and it's what
the VPS unitized, SOFCEL energy storage system can provide.
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