Miura Co., Ltd. is pleased to announce the market launch of a new fuel cell system (FC-5B) in October 2019.
The new fuel cell system is a 4.2kW combined heat and power product (CHP) targeting the commercial building sector in Japan and was developed in partnership with Ceres Power in the UK. The units will operate on mains gas supply and provide both clean energy and hot water to commercial buildings, in a highly efficient and low carbon manner. The systems will also provide businesses with greater certainty of supply, as commercial users can access the electricity and hot water the unit produces from the existing city gas supply even during power outages, thereby aiding business continuity.
In order to realise the potential of distributed energy, Miura has been working on system development for solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), which benefits from particular advantages over other kinds of fuel cell technologies due to its high electrical efficiency and durability. Miura launched the first model of a SOFC system FC-5A and this Product is new model with several improvements including a higher electrical efficiency of 50% net AC (LHV)**. By capturing the exhaust heat as hot water, the overall efficiency of the system reaches 90% meaning users can benefit from both an energy saving and a lower carbon footprint.
This is the product of a partnership with Ceres Power. Based in UK, Ceres Power is a leading developer of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) technology. Ceres Power’s SteelCell® enables a highly durable SOFC stack which is manufactured using standard processes and conventional materials such as steel. Together with Miura’s capability in thermofluid engineering, mechanical design and system integration, the partnership has resulted in the development of a highly efficient and reliable FC-5B SOFC system.
Fuel cell technology generates clean electricity from a chemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen. Hydrogen can be produced by a variety of methods using either conventional fuels or renewable energy sources and can play a crucial role in reducing the environmental footprint of many power applications. The FC-5B will run off readily available natural gas.
Given its importance to the energy supply chain, the Japanese Government published “The Basic Hydrogen Strategy” in 2017 and “The Strategic Road Map for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells” in 2019 to show the vision of a “Hydrogen Society” and the role of hydrogen in a cleaner energy future.
In addition to fuel cell vehicle and fuel cells for household, the deployment of stationary fuel cells in commercial and industrial building sector is another area of focus for the Japanese government’s strategy.
Miura will keep working for energy efficiency and low environmental footprint.
