Propane fuel cell running on a mountaintop in the Rocky Mountains at 8,000 feet.
Alberta, Western Canada: Sunfire Fuel Cells GmbH and its Canadian partner Ensol Systems Inc. commissioned a Propane fuelled Sunfire-Remote 400 fuel cell generator on a remote mountain top site at 8,000 ft elevation west of Calgary on Winter 2022/23. This will ensure the power supply for a radio station on the mountain peak during the winter months, which can be approached by walking or helicopter only. While sufficient solar energy is available from photovoltaic modules in the summer months, icy winds and temperatures below -30 °C make the mountain temporarily inaccessible in winter. With the high-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) used in the Sunfire Remote 400, operation with widely available and inexpensive Propane is possible without stack respectively exhaust pipe freezing, or oil changes becoming necessary, as is usual with technical alternatives. Furthermore, the fuel cell generator which was introduced to the European market in 2014, enables very long maintenance intervals of up to 10,000 operating hours. The user can increase the operational safety and reduce not only costs but also emissions.
This project is supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action as part of the Renewable Energy Solutions Programme of the German Energy Solutions Initiative.
