DJC.COM: Fuel cell project will cost $20.5M, provided by Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce

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January 26, 2001

Fuel cell project will cost $20.5M

RENTON -- With no end to soaring energy costs in sight, King County is expecting big energy and environmental dividends from a fuel cell demonstration project that will turn methane gas from sewage into power to run the South Wastewater Treatment Plant.

King County entered into a cooperative agreement with FuelCell Energy Inc. Wednesday to install a one-megawatt, high-temperature fuel power cell power plant at the county's wastewater treatment facility in Renton. The total value of the contract is nearly $20.5 million.

The field trial is expected to showcase the technology's ability to use a renewable fuel source while controlling air emissions.

The cost for the two-year demonstration project is being shared by King County and FuelCell Energy through a cooperative grant to the county from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Operations are expected to begin during the third quarter of 2002.

FuelCell Energy, based in Danbury, Conn., was selected for the project through a competitive process last July.

A typical daily power bill at the plant is $7,000, but the recent spike in rates bumped the power bill to as much as $137,000 when costs reached a peak in early December.

The county has responded by taking aggressive steps to reduce outside energy use, including the use of three diesel-burning power generators, said King County Executive Ron Sims.

A high-temperature fuel cell power plant could play a key part in reducing the county's dependency on outside power sources.

Reader comments

I've wondered why municipalities in our area and others have asked people to a) turn down the temperature on electrically powered hot water heaters b) use less water (waste water treatment costs of electicity are directly tied to toilet flushing, etc.) c) swap in compact fluorescent bulbs (at $20-$30 a pop for a 7-year lifespan, savings will come fast in an era of higher electrical bills)

Glenn Fleishman, Unsolicited Pundit
freelance journalist
Fri Jan 26, 2001 3:59 am

The use of wastewater treatment plant off-gas as a fuel source is an old idea - in fact, I believe the Renton Plant regularly feeds its gas to the local natural gas utility. Running fuel cells on methane gas is also a proven technology, so I'm not sure why this project justifies a $20M budget in the name of R&D. Conventional power generation plant capital cost is on the order of $1M per Megawatt - so this project costs twenty times (20X) the going rate! And for only two (2) years of service instead of the usual twenty years!! This means the adjusted cost is roughly 200 times the normal cost!!! I can understand 5 to 10 times normal cost in the name of R&D, but 20 to 200? I don't think so. So why are we doing this? I hope the U.S. DoE contribution is a significant part of the funding (at least half). While I am an advocate of fuel cell and other innovative and environmentally friendly energy technologies, this project appears to be squandering precious R&D dollars on technologies that are already largely proven (and proven to be quite costly based on current technology). I believe there are other much more cost-effective ways to use the gas in an environmentally friendly manner, and also provide the treatment plant with cost effective electrical power.

Doug Smith
Mechanical Engineer
Fri Feb 2, 2001 5:35 am

If we wait for the cost to come down to do R&D, we won't accomplish anything. The model-T used to be too expensive. The computer used to be too expensive. In addition, fuel cells are more efficient and environmentally friendly than burning methane. No moving parts, no energy waisted in mechanical friction. Hmmm.

Matt
civil engineer
Fri Feb 14, 2003 4:29 am

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