FUEL CELL POWER BEYOND THE GRID
1.1 billion people lack electricity for lighting, telecom, cooking, clean water & economic development. 84% of them live in rural areas beyond the grid where they face distinct disadvantages in education, health, and quality of life. The GSMA estimates that by 2020, 390,000 telecom towers will be off-grid, and 790,000 that are in poor-grid locations. Powering these towers is a complex challenge.
OVERCOMING THE HYDROGEN INFRASTRUCTURE
Hydrogen fuel cells offer a reliable source of green power that enable telecoms, utilities, businesses and governments to cost-effectively deploy their services in areas beyond the grid or with poor grid supply. Fuel cells offer many benefits, including unlimited run-time, simple annual maintenance and zero emissions. But a lack of infrastructure for distributing hydrogen has kept fuel cells expensive and has prohibited their mainstream adoption.
Fortunately, there is an alternative to investing billions of dollars on building hydrogen infrastructure: just create hydrogen from ammonia. The colorless, pungent gas is an excellent source of hydrogen in its liquid form. This means that fuel cells are not only more reliable and cleaner than diesel generators, but are also significantly less expensive to maintain and operate.
To read about growing demand for a new power solution for off-grid and poor-grid base stations, download the Rethink Research Technology Report.
THE NEW FUEL FOR FUEL CELLS
The GenCell A5 power solution unleashes the power of fuel cells by using an inexpensive and easily accessible liquid fuel–ammonia—to provide emission-free, reliable energy for telecoms, schools, water purification and more. And it’s extremely efficient: a single 12-ton tank of ammonia can fuel a base station 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This makes the GenCell A5 solution ideal for use in remote locations that lack grid access or where the grid is unstable and backup power is frequently required.
THE OFF-GRIDCHALLENGE
1.1 billion people lack electricity for lighting, telecom, cooking & economic development. 84% of them live in rural areas beyond the grid. Telecom and rural electrification is critical for improving their quality of life. By 2020, more than 1 million telecom towers will be in off-grid or in poor-grid locations powered by diesel generators that pollute the air and contaminate the soil.
Green Energy at Half the Price of Diesel
The GenCell A5™ off-grid power solution provides the benefits of green fuel cell energy with an inexpensive and easily accessible liquid fuel – anhydrous ammonia. GenCell’s patented ammonia cracking device generates hydrogen-on-demand for use by its hydrogen fuel cell generators. A single 12-ton tank of ammonia provides enough fuel for a year of 24/7 operation. When installing the GenCell A5 at 1,000 sites or more, you can save up to $250 million or more compared to diesel solutions.