Firm with designs on bottled energy

Published Date: 11 April 2009

ONE of the Scottish businesses planning to become a founder member of the "hydrogen hub" at the Methil Energy Park is St Andrews Fuel Cells.

It has patented a spiral solid oxide fuel cell, which is more durable and offers more efficient electricity generation. Although its technology is still at prototype stage, the business employs six full-time staff and in 2007 attracted £1.5 million investment from renewable venture capitalist, Sigma Capital Group and government agency, the Carbon Trust. It hopes to raise further finance in the next year. Clive Dyson, chief executive of St Andrews Fuel Cells, explains the first application for his technology: "With a bottle of hydrogen as fuel, our cells will provide a viable alternative to transportable power sources, for example diesel generators. "Each could provide up to one kilowatt of silent, clean energy. We hope to have this cell ready in two to three years."Another application of the fuel cells will be combined heat and power (CHP). A home of the future may have a fuel cell to provide its electricity. Heat, produced as a by-product, may also be used for space heating and hot water. This system is far more efficient than the centralised energy production common to most countries.Another advantage of fuel cells is they may be attached in series, like standard batteries. This makes them suitable for larger-scale applications. Mr Dyson hopes his cells may be used this way: "A bank of 1,000 cells could be used to produce a megawatt of electricity, enough to power 500 efficient homes," he said. Fuel cell CHP is a system becoming more widely used abroad. Japan offers manufacturers an incentive of £10,000 for every home fitted with a fuel cell system.