Closer Look
While a variety of fuel cells exist today, materials issues, fuel inflexibility, and low system efficiencies limit them to high cost, low demand applications. The Direct Carbon Fuel Cell (DCFC) offers a bridge to convert the promise of fuels cells to commercial reality. Relying on carbon as the primary fuel, Contained Energy will deliver fuel cells with the highest achievable system efficiency, high energy density, and sequestration ready CO2 at significantly reduced cost. When fueled with biomass, DCFC is a renewable power source. DCFC technology is cleaner, greener power.
There is no silver bullet solution to our energy needs. A combination of maintaining current base load energy sources, developing new base load and renewable energy supplies, continuing improvements to the transmission infrastructure, and promoting energy efficiency and conservation programs are key to meeting energy and environmental goals and keeping our economy growing.
Base load power (constant, low cost power for basic needs like refrigerators, freezers and industrial motors) is the foundation of any electricity grid and base load demand is growing. Some renewable energies produce intermittent energy (for example, wind energy is produced only when the wind blows and solar energy only when the sun shines), which limits their dependability and application within an electricity grid and renders them ill suited for base load power. Other energy options rely on the production, storage and transportation of hydrogen gas – an economy/infrastructure decades away from being a reality.
DCFC technology converts renewable (or fossil) carbon at high efficiency (low CO2) in a way that makes it suitable to provide base-load power. Moreover, DCFC is also a distributed generation alternative – allowing electricity generation very near to where it is used, perhaps even in the same building; thereby reducing dependence on the grid, energy transmission losses, and the size and number of power lines that must be constructed.
Contained Energy has licensed exclusively six patents surrounding the development of DCFC technology and is simultaneously pursuing an open innovation approach to product development. Our robust mix of institutional partnerships – combined with our team that integrates exceptional science, engineering and business expertise – provides a unique climate for rapid development and a path to transform the promise of fuel cells into commercial success.
