Wednesday 17 November 2010
BlueGen gas-to-electricity unit successfully producing electricity in Melbourne home.
Origin Energy paying feed-in tariff for electricity exported to the grid.
Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited, (AIM/ASX:CFU) a leading developer of high efficiency and low emission electricity generation units for homes and other buildings, today announced it had installed a BlueGen small-scale gas-to-electricity unit in a home in a southern Melbourne suburb.
The house, in Lonsdale Avenue, Hampton East, is now using electricity and hot water produced by the BlueGen unit.
Importantly, leading energy retailer Origin Energy is offering a feed-in tariff to the home's tenant for excess electricity that is being exported to the grid.
It is estimated the BlueGen units will save residents hundreds of dollars per annum in energy bills, depending on the size of the home, size of the family and whether a feed-in tariff is made available for the excess electricity produced.
The installation of the unit is part of a $1.3 million pilot program in Victoria in which 30 BlueGen units will be installed in public housing properties - 20 in Melbourne and 10 in Shepparton. Funding of the project has been provided through Sustainability Victoria's Sustainability Fund.
Origin Energy has offered all tenants who install BlueGen units as part of the program a package of Green Gas plus a one-for-one feed-in tariff for the excess electricity generated by the BlueGen units. This means that a tenant who exports power to the grid will get a credit on their bill equal to the normal retail rate of electricity.
The first BlueGen unit was launched by the Chairman of Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited, Jeff Harding, the Victorian Minister for Housing, the Hon Richard Wynne MP, and the Victorian Minister for Environment, the Hon Gavin Jennings MP.
"We are delighted to have a BlueGen unit producing electricity from natural gas in a home in Melbourne," Jeff Harding said. "We are especially proud that the unit is significantly lowering carbon emissions and is saving money via lower electricity costs. We are convinced that small scale, low-emission units like BlueGen should be part of the future landscape for electricity production in both Australia and around the world. Not only do they reduce electricity prices and carbon output, but they negate the need for large scale investment in electricity distribution infrastructure."
Victorian Minister for Housing Richard Wynne said: "I am delighted to see the first of the BlueGen ceramic fuel cells being installed, because each unit will save tenants money on bills and help lower Victoria's carbon footprint. It is estimated that these fuel cells will save each of Victoria's most vulnerable families hundreds of dollars each year on their energy bills."
Victorian Minister for Environment Gavin Jennings said: "This new technology will reduce carbon emissions and energy bills for vulnerable Victorians."
Each BlueGen unit produces about 12,500 kilowatt hours of electricity per year - about twice the amount used by the average home in Melbourne.
About the size of a dishwasher, BlueGen units generate electricity in the home at more than double the efficiency of current Victorian coal-fired electricity generators, cutting energy bills and reducing carbon emissions by up to two-thirds. BlueGen has an overall electrical efficiency of 85%, compared to about 25% efficiency for coal-derived electricity.
According to a report this year by CSIRO, each BlueGen unit saves up to 14 tonnes of carbon per year compared to electricity from the grid and gas hot water. (By contrast, a typical 2 kilowatt solar PV unit saves about three tonnes of carbon per year).
For further information please contact:
Ceramic Fuel Cells
Andrew Neilson
Tel: +61 419 950 771
Email: investor@cfcl.com.au
Media enquiries
Richard Allen
Oxygen Financial Public Relations
Ph: 03 9915 6341
About Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited:
Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited is a world leader in developing fuel cell technology to provide highly efficient and low-emission electricity from widely available natural gas. Ceramic Fuel Cells is developing fully integrated power and heating products with leading energy companies E.ON UK in the United Kingdom, GdF Suez in France and EWE in Germany. The company has sold BlueGen units to major utilities and other foundation customers in Germany, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Japan, Australia and the USA. Ceramic Fuel Cells is listed on the London Stock Exchange AIM market and the Australian Securities Exchange (code CFU).