Microgeneration collaboration

Ceramic Fuel Cells and E.On have extended their exclusive agreement to develop and deploy fuel-cell based micro-combined heat and power (mCHP) units in the UK.

Under the terms of the new agreement, the organisations will work to commercialise mCHP units designed specifically for the UK market, based on Ceramic Fuel Cells' Gennex fuel-cell module.

Subject to achieving certain price and performance targets, E.On will gain the exclusive distribution rights for Ceramic Fuel Cells' mCHP units in the UK; but it will have to order a minimum of 100,000 units over six years from 2012 to retain that exclusivity.

Ceramic Fuel Cells and E.On expect the new mCHP units will be able to power a range of homes and help reduce carbon emissions in the UK.

This agreement follows the successful completion of the first phase of the partners’ product development, in which an ‘Alpha’ prototype unit, comprising a CFCL NetGenPlus unit integrated with a supplementary boiler, was installed and operated.

The Alpha unit successfully met all of E.On’s performance and lifetime requirements, exporting slightly less than 1kW of power to the local UK grid and generating enough heat for an average UK home’s hot-water needs.