By Rob McAtee, P.E., LEED, AP, M. SAME
Natural gas fuel cells are a proven technology with energy security, economic, and environmental benefits for military installations—but a variety of factors must be taken into account when considering their potential application for best results.
… Installations with ready access to natural gas can benefit from fuel cells serving as base-load generation throughout the year and during periods of prolonged power utility outage. Fuel cells can be lifecycle cost effective and result in significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions when compared to typical generating utilities.
…Even though renewable energy and battery storage continue to improve and decrease in cost, a continuous source of on-site power generation is still needed for most locations to supplement these technologies.
