OPALCOGRAM 119
7/7/94
|
|
Doug Bechtel
|
|
It seems that the letters that I get back from you in response to
the OPALCOGRAMS come in clumps. After my OPALCOGRAM on load management,
I got several lengthy letters that I am still pondering, and other
columns have prompted similar comments from our members. Over the
last couple of weeks, I have received letters from two of you wondering
if I am getting burned out on OPALCOGRAMS and urging me to continue.
One of the things I like about working at OPALCO is that it is an
exciting place to work. The Board of Directors (and the manager
and staff) really look towards the future. On June 30, a representative
of the Electric Power Research Institute made a presentation to
the Board of Directors and senior staff on fuel cells. Fuel cells
are like personal computers - they keep getting more efficient and
the cost for what you are buying comes down. The price of fuel cells
for the foreseeable future will probably prohibit their widespread
use at OPALCO. It’s going to be difficult to get power out of a
currently available fuel cell for much less than 10 to 15 cents
per kilowatt hour. That doesn’t mean that they don’t have a role
at OPALCO.
The current generation of fuel cells comes in 200 kilowatt modules
and operates at an efficiency of 40-45%. The cost of these is in
the $600,000 range. The next generation of fuel cells will be in
the 1,000 to 10,000 kW range and will be 50-60% efficient. The first
of these second generation fuel cells is under construction in Santa
Clara, California and will not be completed for another year or
more. They will then undergo a couple of years of tests before becoming
commercially available. The third generation of fuel cells is barely
off the drawing board and will offer significantly decreased cost
but probably won’t be available until well after the year 2000 .
The question that we need to address right now is the value of a
fuel cell for OPALCO. A 200 kW fuel cell would generate _ of 1%
of our winter needs, so it is not going to be a major supplier of
electricity. At the same time, there is some merit for us to become
familiar with these units and the technology so that we can determine
what role they may play in OPALCO’s future. If we play our cards
right, we may be able to get grant money to pay for half or more
of the fuel cell.
We are currently updating our long-range plans for our transmission
and distribution systems. Having a potential resource such as fuel
cells available will affect the outcome of the plan. The availability
of emerging technology leads us toward making smaller investments
towards the future so that we are able to change course to accommodate
new technology. We are going to have to be pretty tricky to buy
ourselves 10 to 15 years without massive investments in our submarine
cables, so that fuel cells have time to mature. I intend to pursue
the fuel cell alternative and hope that I can present the Board
of Directors with a plan that we can afford and will get us into
the fuel cell business, even if it’s just a small unit to gain experience.nce.
Doug Bechtel
|
|