MHPS Receives First Order For Integrated Fuel Cell And Gas Turbine Hybrid Power Generation System

• Highly efficient hybrid system, one of the facilities for utilization of hydrogen, to begin operating in February 2019
• Energy-saving and eco-friendly attributes are strong selling points for the Marunouchi in Tokyo

Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd. (MHPS) has received the first order (Note) for its pressurized hybrid power generation system integrating solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stacks with micro gas turbines (MGT). Launched for the commercial and industrial market, this system is being installed in the Marunouchi Building in Tokyo, owned and operated by Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd. As a highly efficient distributed power system with clean emissions, it will enhance energy savings and eco-friendliness at the Marunouchi Building, located near Tokyo Station. Full-scale operations are scheduled to start in February 2019, when renovation work on the building's generators is completed.

This hybrid system uses city gas as fuel, generating electricity with both ceramic SOFC stacks that operate at a high temperature of around 900℃, and MGTs. The fuel is not burned, but rather the SOFCs generate electricity from the chemical reaction between oxygen in the air and hydrogen and carbon monoxide extracted from reformed city gas, while the MGTs generate electricity from the post-process. Used in a cogeneration system, the remaining exhaust heat can be recovered as steam or hot water, increasing the combined efficiency by as much as 65% or 73% for each. Compared to conventional power generation systems, utilizing this hybrid system reduces CO2emissions by around 47%, thereby contributing to the realization of a low-carbon society.

MHPS conducted demonstration tests of 250 kilowatt (KW) class systems through fiscal 2016 with the support of Japan's New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) research agency. Demonstration equipment was installed at four locations in Japan, and stable system operations were verified. MHPS then developed practical models for commercial and industrial applications, and began marketing the system in summer 2017.

The Marunouchi Building was built in 2002 as the first project in the Marunouchi area redevelopment plan conducted by Mitsubishi Estate. The building is now 15 years old, and its power generation systems were in need of improvement and repair. Mitsubishi Estate was looking to introduce an energy-saving, highly eco-friendly distributed cogeneration system to further the advancement of a low-carbon society, and selected MHPS's hybrid system.

Capitalizing on this initial order, MHPS will enhance its proposal-based sales in order to promote wider adoption of fuel cells for commercial and industrial applications, while also working to further enhance the performance and convenience of this system, and contribute to a form of energy creation appropriate for a highly sustainable, low-carbon society.