Ford to Use Fuel Cell to Reduce Exhast from Paint Fumes and Produce Electricity

In a rather unique application of fuel cells, Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) will use a Fuel Cell Energy(NasdaqGM: FCEL) fuel cell to reduce the paint fumes emanating from automotive painting operations at its Oakville, Ontario facility by converting the fumes into 300 kilowatts (kW) of green electricity.

The PRIME NEWSWIRE release goes on to say:

The Direct FuelCell(r) (DFC(r)) unit can transform the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) that emanate from enamel base paints and clear coat finishes used in manufacturing into fuel used by the fuel cells.

"By using the end-products of enamel and clear coat operations, we are eliminating the exhaust of thousands of tons of nitrous and sulfur oxides as well as CO2 -- a major greenhouse gas,'' said Andrew Skok, Executive Director, Strategic Marketing for FuelCell Energy. ``As this application shows, the fuel flexibility of our DFC300MA opens up an entirely new, very large market for us.''

The DFC300MA unit is expected to be started up early in 2008 and over time, Ford and Detroit Edison, which jointly own the rights to the paint fume clean up and separation technology, could roll the system out to Ford's other plants, or license it to other manufacturers whose operations include similar uses of paint compounds.

The DFC power plant is being funded by Industry Canada, and the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Trade to assist in deploying alternative energy sources. The unit deployment in Oakville will be supported through the combined efforts of FuelCell Energy and its distribution partner, Enbridge, Inc. (NYSE:ENB ). Installation and integration of the power plant with Ford's manufacturing facility will be managed by Arencibia Associates of Coopersburg, PA.

Comments

[Jonathan Buck]

Thought you might be interested in this piece on large-scale fuel cells by journalist Bill Thompson (of BBC Digital Planet) http://wattwatt.com/pulses/92/large-scale-fuel-cells/