Thousands of telecommunications masts, weather stations, construction sites, railways and other off-grid locations need small amounts of electricity. A VTT-led project found that fuel cell technology enables reliable, remotely controlled and more environmentally friendly electricity generation, even in hard-to-reach locations with extreme conditions.
“Gas-powered fuel cell technology proved very well suited to electrifying sites in extreme conditions, from minus 40 degrees to tropical temperatures above 50 degrees,” VTT Research Professor Jari Kiviaho explains. He coordinated the RoRePower project.
Traditionally, electricity in hard-to-reach locations has been generated using diesel generators. The solid oxide fuel cell technology tested in the project is more efficient than traditional methods. Using bio-based fuel also enables emission-free electricity generation in remote locations.
“This solution has potentially tens of thousands of applications worldwide. In Finland, it could power weather stations, remote traffic lights and border surveillance cameras, for example, as well as charge drones,” Kiviaho explains.
Another advantage of fuel cell technology is maintenance-free operation: a single refuelling can produce electricity for up to a year with remote monitoring alone. The system can also operate alongside solar cells or battery storage.
Karjaan Puhelin’s data centre served as the Finnish test site
The international project tested fuel cell equipment at more than 50 sites around the world. In Finland, it was tested at Karjaan Puhelin’s data centre, where average electricity demand was below 1 kW. SolydEra’s fuel cell system was successfully trialled there for around two years, producing all the data centre’s electricity using gas supplied by Auris Energy.
“Karjaan Puhelin has long explored and adopted alternative energy sources such as solar and wind power, but batteries have been the most common backup option. When VTT introduced the fuel cell project, joining was an easy decision. It has been an interesting project, providing valuable information about fuel cells and their advantages and challenges. I see a very bright future for fuel cell technology,” says Karjaan Puhelin’s Infrastructure and Property Manager Magnus Henriksson.
“The project demonstrated the potential of combining gas and a fuel cell at challenging electrification sites, such as hard-to-reach off-grid locations,” Auris Energy’s Deputy Managing Director Perttu Lahtinen says.
The systems developed and tested in the project are now commercial products, well suited to small-scale electricity generation in extremely demanding conditions.
RoRePower was a four-year EU-funded project to develop and test small power sources for remotely controlled, hard-to-reach off-grid sites. Alongside VTT, the consortium included Sunfire, new enerday, SolydEra, EFCF and 3E Energy. The project received funding from the EU Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking and the Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.