Fuel cells to power SA's remote locations

 Fuel cells to power SA's remote locations

KENNITH SHUDA Increased demand for power has prompted the construction
of additional power-generating capacity
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By: Shannon O'Donnell
Published: 20 Apr 07 - 0:00
The $3-million grant awarded by the Inter-national Finance Cor-
poration (IFC) to South African company IST Holdings, and US partner
Plug Power, to install 400 fuel cells in remote locations and cities
of South Africa is 10% complete, says IST Holdings power systems GM
Kennith Shuda.



Increased demand for reliable power throughout South Africa has
prompted the construction of additional power-generating capacity and
the simultaneous upgrade of existing infrastructure, both of which can
benefit from the capabilities provided by Plug Power's GenCore fuel
cell.



Plug Power's GenCore unit is expected to become an important component
in the expan- sion of utility infra-structure throughout South Africa,
observes an IST Holdings official.



The fuel cells will pro-vide a reliable source of electricity and will
replace polluting technologies such as diesel generators.



Fuel cells use an elec-trochemical reaction, rather than combustion,
to produce electricity. The device converts chemical energy from a
fuel, such as hydrogen, into electricity and heat, with water being
the only waste product. It is similar to a battery in that it also
produces direct-current electricity. However, unlike a battery, which
is limited to the stored energy within it, a fuel cell is able to
generate power as long as fuel is supplied.



IFC is introducing fuel cells as a preferred technology for pri-
vately financed, distributed, sta-tionary power applications in
developing countries. The first stage of this initiative will consist
of up to three indi- vidual pilot projects that will demonstrate the
value of station-ary fuel-cell technology in eco-nomic and
environmental terms in developing countries.



Progress is being made in South Africa's utility market through an
ongoing field trial with a leading power utility in sub-Saharan Africa
to evaluate the application of GenCore units within in its telecoms,
distribution and trans-mission divisions.



Fuel cells can produce elec-tricity alongside heat and water. They are
able to provide clean and efficient power for a range of applications,
from laptop com-puters to driving cars and even supplying electricity
to factories.



Shuda believes that fuel cells will have a positive impact on the
environment, owing to a reduction of harmful greenhouse gasses (GHG).
"Only water and heat are emitted as a by-product of the fuel cell.
There is also no noise which is a common pollutant when using diesel
or gas generators," says Shuda. Fuel cells use fuels with low or
neutral carbon content at high electrical efficiencies, and thus have
the potential for significant GHG emissions reduction.



The GenCore product is used in many applications, such as extended
backup power supply for mobile operators, utilities and small
businesses, says Shuda.



The five-kilowatt fuel cells are produced by Plug Power, and are
imported, distributed, installed and maintained by IST Holdings, of
Pretoria.

Edited by: Laura Tyrer


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