Italian engineering firm Ansaldo is to further the development of its fuel cell technology through a new deal with electricity company Enel.
Ansaldo Fuel Cells and the Italian utility have agreed to develop, build and test an integrated trigeneration system using molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) technology at Enel’s research centre in Livorno, Italy. The 0.5 MW plant will be operational by 2009.
The two companies may also build further power plants using Ansaldo’s MCFC technology in the future, boosting Enel’s presence in the sector.
The agreement forms a major part of Ansaldo Fuel Cells’ development plan, which aims to provide the company with a market-ready product. It is also a step forward for Enel’s ‘Environment and Innovation’ plan, for which the company has allocated EUR4 billion in funding until 2011.
Ansaldo will develop and install new components at the new plant, which will be operated by Enel research staff. The partnership also covers the joint development of certain system components such as the interface between the fuel cells and the electricity grid.
Ansaldo says it is one of the few companies in Europe to have invested heavily in MCFC technology, which operate at high temperatures using a lithium-potassium carbonate electrolyte.
