Acumentrics’ Micro Fuel Cell Cogeneration for Home Energy

People are demanding more environmentally friendly ways to power and heat their homes. Acumentrics’ AHEAD combined heat and power (micro-CHP) fuel cell systems offer a reliable, efficient solution. Our residential fuel cell system generates efficient energy that avoids grid transmission losses. Extra electricity can be put back to the grid for net-metering. ¹ Excess heat is captured and used for hot water.

This initiative is not yet offered for general availability.

Traditional micro-CHP systems are based on small engine or turbine technology. Acumentrics uses fuel cells to make clean, silent power and heat for the home. Our AHEAD home energy appliance is designed to supply average energy demand, with peaks being handled by the grid or batteries, and comes with a grid-tie option. Our systems operate directly from natural gas at nearly 90% efficiency.

We invite you to review our product offerings, and contact us about our semi-custom solutions and partnership programs.

 ¹ For consumers who have their own electricity generating units, net metering allows for the flow of electricity both to and from the customer through a single, bi-directional meter. This arrangement is more advantageous to the customer than the two-meter arrangements that are more typically used for qualifying facilities authorized under PURPA. Under the most common two-meter arrangement, referred to as net purchase and sale, any electricity produced by a consumer that is not immediately used by the customer flows to the utility through the second meter. This excess generation flowing through the second meter is purchased by the utility at the utility’s avoided cost, while the customer purchases any electricity off of the grid at the retail rate. There is usually a significant difference in the retail rate and the avoided cost. A typical retail rate might be 9¢/kWh, while the avoided cost rate may be 2¢/kWh.

With net metering, at times when the customer’s generation exceeds their use, electricity from the customer to the utility offsets electricity consumed at another time. In effect, the customer is using the excess generation to offset electricity that would have been purchased at the retail rate. Under most state rules, residential, commercial, and industrial customers are eligible for net metering, but some states restrict eligibility to particular customer classes.
Net metering is also a low-cost and easily administered way of promoting direct customer investment in renewable energy. One of the major advantages of net metering is its simplicity; many customers are currently using their existing meter without any additional regulation or equipment.
From “Connecting to the Grid” IREC 2004

Combined heat and power (CHP) systems make use of all parts of an engine- the electrical output and the heat output. They are promoted worldwide as the solution for home heat and power, because they are secure, distributed, and efficient. While there are several ways to make a CHP, we believe fuel cells are the best. Our solid oxide fuel cells systems have no moving parts, and they operate at a whopping 750 degrees Celsius, so there is lots of heat for water! That heat can be transformed into heating or cooling for the home.