Power Technology Today and Tomorrow --Paths To A Sustainable Future

1. Power Technology Today and Tomorrow --Paths To A Sustainable Future Altering The Profile Of The Future: High Performance Design & Construction Bren School, UCSB April 20, 2002 Ken StrohLos Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos, New Mexico

2. Distributed Power - Today • Produce electric power or mechanical shaft power close to point of use • Transmission losses can approach zero • Power reliability improved • Potential to use “waste” heat • Reduced life-cycle costs and attractive return on investment • Even when supplemented by grid power, demand charges and peak energy charges reduced

3. Distributed Power Alternatives Turbines / Microturbines Fuel Cells Reciprocating Engines

4. A Future PowerNet? A multitude of flexible, diverse distributed power generators and Internet communications combine to • Enable a robust PowerNet • Automatically dispatch “best” combination of nearby generators to meet local load requirements • Cleanest? • Most efficient? • Cheapest? • Individuals and businesses can be producers or consumers of power (or both depending on instantaneous needs & capacity) • Self healing net , no single-point failures

5. Combined Heat and Power (CHP) - Today • Distributed production of electricity or shaft power on-site, with provision for using “waste” heat • Captured thermal energy can supplement or replace on-site fuel-fired or electric heating • Electric loads on site can be further reduced using “thermally activated” cooling and humidity control equipment

6. Combined Heat and Power Example Conventional Generation • Thermal losses <1/5 of conventional • Energy-related water use from <1/5 to zero Combined Heat and Power 33% Efficient 35% Efficient • 40% less fuel used (which lowers emissions) • Low-carbon fuels can substitute for coal-fired generation 52% Efficient 85% Efficient 85% Efficient 50% Efficient

7. Combined Heat and Power Systems • CHP Systems are most viable if you have • Reasonable thermal demand • Thermal and electric demand match technology • High occupancy rates/operating hours • Need for high-quality or backup power coincident with thermal demand • New construction or major renovation • Centralized heating and cooling facilities • Longer-term financial returns acceptable • Summer peak electric rates • High electric demand charges and peak energy usage charges

8. Heat Recovery Example

9. Thermally Activated Equipment • Space conditioning requires temperature and humidity control for comfort and to control microorganism growth • A typical approach to humidity control is to over-cool incoming air to drop water out and then reheat air for temperature control • Thermal energy from “waste” heat can replace shaft power and fired heat Absorption Chiller Desiccant Dehumidifier

10. Policy & Regulations – Federal, State & Local • Administration leads strong federal support for CHP • National Energy Policy • DOE & OGA Programs • Technical • Grants • State & local differences exist in policies, regulations and incentives • DOE establishing 8 CHP Regional Application Centers (RACs) http://www.bchp.org/policy.html

11. What Might Reshape Our Energy Future? A sustainable (clean & renewable) energy system based on Hydrogen that is affordable, domestically produced from diverse sources, and safely stored, dispensed and used Fuel cells for energy conversion, in flexible systems used in all energy sectors and all regions of the country

12. Fuel Cells Are Like Batteries That You Supply Fuel To As Needed Hydrogen A fuel cell converts the chemical energy in hydrogen to electricity and water Pure Water Electricity Oxygen from air Many cells are stacked together to get desired power

13. How Fuel Cells Work

14. Where Do You Get Hydrogen? Hydrogen can be extracted from fossil fuels, including gasoline, diesel, natural gas, propane or coal as needed, or through electrolysis of water using electricity from conventional power plants Hydrogen can be made from renewable power systems • from water using electricity from solar photovoltaic or wind or using direct processes • from methane gas from landfills, waste treatment or biomass processing

15. Fuel Cell Systems Are Being DevelopedFor A Range of Powers • Residential 1 - 10kW, Automotive & Buildings 50 - 75kW, Industrial 200kW - 3MW • Power more reliable than from grid • Thermal power for heating/cooling available at about same level as electrical output • Excess power can be sold or used within the community • Systems are still expensive - government subsidies may be available for cost difference • Still developmental

16. Small Residential Scale Systems --Not (Quite) Ready For Prime Time Residential systems from 1-10kW are being developed

17. Home Power Generation Example • HomeGen 7000 GE/PlugPower • Fuel Processor for Natural Gas or Propane • Fuel Cell System • Inverter / Power Conditioner • Waste heat interface • 45”W x 30”L x 55”H • 40% efficient at 2 kW • 29% efficient at 7 kW • > 75 % Energy Recovery (w/Thermal) • Commercial Offer Date/Price TBD Image by GE / Plug-Power

18. Utility / Building / Industrial Power Plants Systems from 200kW to 3MW are being developed

19. Available Now UTC Fuel Cells and its licensees have delivered more than 200 PC25™ systems and have installed units in 15 countries on four continents

20. Clean Transportation May ActivateHuge Market Forces Hydrogen fuel cell cars and buses are being developed

21. Your Parking Lot (Or Garage)As A Power Source? • If 6% of the automobiles in California were mid-sized fuel cell vehicles, they would represent an electric generating capacity exceeding what is currently generated statewide • Power demand peaks during the day when people are at work and their cars are in the parking lot • DOE is exploring the idea of “power parks” based on these mobile distributed generators • Some day you may plug your home into your electric car rather than charging your car through your home from the grid

22. The Fuel Cell National Resource CenterAt Los Alamos National Laboratory No appropriate facility exists at Los Alamos No appropriate facility exists in DOE complex • Activity and facility need to • Be visible and accessible • Enable exceptional safety and performance • Reflect positively on the Department and Los Alamos • Reflect a sustainable energy future • Be flexible to respond to changing program direction

23. Sustainable by Design • FCNRC will pilot LANL sustainable building approach, drawing on Best Practices of • US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) rating system • EPA/DOE Labs21 Program (21st Century Laboratories) • GSA Design Excellence Program Guidance • DOE High Performance Building Initiative • DoD Sustainable Systems guidance & lessons learned • Related programs and policies • Experience indicates a whole-building design approach has comparable first costs and much reduced life-cycle costs • LANL effort on sustainable design provided via overhead through the Environmental Stewardship Office

24. FCNRC Fuel Cell & HydrogenDemonstration Opportunity Will consider PEM fuel cell system for building’s combined heat and power, deriving hydrogen from natural gas • LANL has limited grid interconnects and projects electrical power shortfall • Overall efficiency with waste heat application could be 75-85% • Technology validation and workforce training opportunity • Public demonstration and outreach opportunity • Could divert and purify portion of hydrogen-rich gas stream, for use in vehicles or other demonstrations • Could couple with renewable hydrogen demonstration • Los Alamos could be one end of a clean transportation corridor with Albuquerque (SNL, Kirtland AFB, DOE/ALOO) • Redundant, diverse source of on-site power could support LANL emergency operations

25. Sources For Information(Both Technical and Financial) • DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Network http://www.eren.doe.gov/ • DOE Cooling, Heating and Power for Buildings (technology & state-by-state information) http://www.bchp.org/ • DOE/EERE Regional Offices (implement EERE strategies at state & local level) http://www.eren.doe.gov/rso.html • Hydrogen Information Network http://www.eren.doe.gov/hydrogen/ • Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Investor http://www.h2fc.com/defaultIE4.html • Fuel Cells 2000 http://www.fuelcells.org/

26. Contact Info Ken Stroh Energy and Sustainable Systems Program Office (505) 667-7933 (505) 667-4098 Fax stroh@lanl.gov http://www.lanl.gov/mst/fuelcells/ Fuel cell Green Power brochure can be found at http://education.lanl.gov/resources/fuelcells/