Flavours of micro CHP

Amazing! In the last three days we have had announcements of deals of as many different micro CHP technologies. Firstly Ceres (Solid Oxide Fuel Cells) announced that Centrica (aka British Gas) had bought into 10% of their company, then EON announce a deal with Energetix to trial their Organic Rankine Cycle unit, then Disenco announce another manufacturing deal with Malvern boilers. What does it all mean?

Ceres have been hyping their fuel cell technology which promises to be the answer to a maidens prayer with all kinds of developments including demonstrations of their "wall mounted" micro CHP unit. Much like Microgen and Acumentrics, they have demonstrated only that it is possible to erect very substantial brick walls. Unlike those two developers they have yet to demonstrate a packaged micro CHP product providing heat and power in a live application. Whilst BG may have plenty of cash to squander on promising technologies, I really cannot understand their simultaneous promise to order 37,500 Ceres fuel cell micro CHP units. What on earth are they thinking of? Why not 37,501 units? Ah well, it is their money!

Energetix, on the other hand, with their Genlec unit, have demonstrated a very credible if modestly efficient genuinely wall-mounted micro CHP unit. This product, at first appears rather pointless. It has a nominal efficiency lower than other technologies and is a couple of years behind them. So what is the big deal? Just the fact that it actually exists and might actually deliver what it promises! The Genlec unit uses readily available components so should be relatively cheap or at least predictable cost; it is very flexible in operation, so may have more or less nominal efficiency in the field; it is genuinely wall-mountable, not a 100kg monster like Microgen nor the size of a wall-mounted dishwasher like Acumentrics. Is this important? Some say it is as the majority of boilers sold today are wall-mounted; others say not as this is just a fad and there is nothing wrong with floor-mounted products.

Disenco now have an engine manufacturer and a boiler partner. If their partners can produce the 3kWe products to performance and life requirements it is still quite a challenge to overcome the vagaries of the export reward schemes and recover some value for the electricity produced.

So, plenty of oportunities and plenty of challenges; at least it is good to see micro CHP really making some progress and with luck presenting us with a choice of products to suit our various needs.