Viessmann makes fuel cell heat and power a reality for European home owners

New polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC)-based micro combined heat and power system (mCHP) is the first of its kind to be mass-produced in Europe. It goes on sale in April and is on display at Ecobuild 2014.

Leading international heating systems manufacturer, Viessmann, has developed a fuel cell heat and power system with Panasonic that could revolutionise the domestic heating market. The Vitovalor 300-P is the first mass-produced, commercially available fuel cell to be developed for domestic use in Europe. The system, comprising a fuel cell unit, peak load boiler and hot water tank, reduces CO2emissions by 50 per cent compared to the separate generation of heat and power. The fuel cell unit has been developed by Panasonic, whilst Viessmann has assembled the system and provided the peak load boiler and hot water tank.

Viessmann’s fuel cell product will go on sale in Germany this April, where there are purchase incentives as well as feed-in and export tariffs in place, as is also the case in Japan. It has already been MCS tested for the UK prior to trial installations later this Spring, but it is not planned to launch in the UK until 2015.

Managing director of Viessmann, Graham Russell, says, “It’s very exciting to be able to show our new Vitovalor 300-P fuel cell system at Ecobuild, proving that homeowners, industrial companies, installers, architects and specifiers can turn to Viessmann when it comes to future energy solutions. The domestic fuel product is here but we know that realistically, for it to be adopted in the UK, there will need to be incentives for end-users. By 2020 we expect a five-digit number of systems to be installed across Europe.”

Vitovalor 300-P operation

The heat produced by the power generation process of the Vitovalor 300-P is utilised for central and hot water heating. Delivering 19 kW, the 0.65 metre2unit produces enough thermal output to cover the majority of the annual heat demand for a detached house. The integral gas condensing boiler starts automatically when the heat from the fuel cell module is insufficient, such as at peak times or when a lot of hot water is required for a brief period.

The Vitovalor 300-P is operated with hydrogen and air, where the hydrogen is derived from natural gas in a process upstream of the stack (reformer). Just like a gas boiler, the fuel cell requires a gas supply, a supply of combustion air and a flue.

The unit offers electrical efficiency that is twice as high as that offered by current CHP products - this reduces the heat extraction and makes the fuel cell particularly suitable for use in new build.

Where fuel cell development is a new step for Viessmann, Panasonic is an established leader in the market, having sold fuel cell systems to customers in Japan since 2009. The combination of the technological expertise of Viessmann and the experience of Panasonic has enabled the development of a fuel cell system suitable for the European market, with outstanding energy efficiency and reliability. Customers will be able to operate the system remotely through their smartphones, which will display data on power generation status, economic and environmental efficiency.

Press Enquiries

Julia Fairbank, Propel Technology, Bloxham Mill, Barford Road, Bloxham, Banbury, Oxfordshire, UK, OX15 4FF. 44 (0)1295 724130. julia@propel-technology.com

About Viessmann Limited

Viessmann Limited is part of the Viessmann Group of Companies which is one of the leading international manufacturers of heating systems. Founded in 1917, the family business is overseen by the chairmanship of Managing Partner Dr. Martin Viessmann. The Group has annual turnover of EUR 1.89 billion and employs a staff of approximately 10,600. Viessmann’s comprehensive product range encompasses all fuel types and applications, allowing it to deliver high quality, efficient and fully integrated solutions. With an output range of 1.5 to 120,000 kW, Viessmann offers oil and gas-fired boilers, solar thermal and photovoltaics, combined heat and power modules (CHP), ground, air and water sourced heat pumps and biomass boilers.

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