Fuel Cell System Continues Operation During Power Outage in Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Fuel Cell System Continues Operation During Power Outage in Cuyahoga Valley National Park

WESTWOOD, Mass. January 18, 2008 -- An Acumentrics Corporation fuel cell system kept the Cuyahoga Valley National Park's environmental education center powered during a 26-hour power outage that resulted from a grid failure last week.

The fuel cell system, based on Acumentrics' tubular solid oxide cells (SOFCs), is the second Acumentrics system installed at the park. It was delivered to the facility last September in order to allow the operation of the centre in the case of a power failure as well as allow the facility to be grid-independent.

"The system operated flawlessly," said Woody Howitt of the National Park Service at Cuyahoga Valley National Park. "The fuel cell assumed the load with no interruption of service for about 26 hours. In fact, the system operated so seamlessly it was only after we looked at the fuel cell data did we realize that the power had gone out."

Cuyahoga Valley National Park, established in 1974, located midway between Cleveland and Akron, draws 2.4 million visits per year. The 33,000-acre park links the urban centers of Cleveland and Akron, preserving the rural character of the Cuyahoga River Valley.

SOFCs are one of the most efficient and cleanest power-generating systems currently being developed. Acumentrics' highly efficient, fuel-flexible systems have operated at an overall efficiency of more than double that of similar sized diesel generator sets. SOFCs run on a variety of hydrocarbon fuels such as methane or propane, as well as on "green fuels" like bio-diesel that are increasingly being produced in the Unites States.

About Acumentrics
Acumentrics' unique, durable, fuel-flexible tubular ceramics-based fuel cell technology has exceeded performance standards in U.S. Department of Energy Solid-State Energy Conversion Alliance (SECA) Phase I tests, demonstrated the ability to operate for 1300 hours on synthetic JP-8 fuel, become the first biogas-fueled SOFC system in an installation at the innovative GlashusEtt environmental information center in Stockholm, and received a 2007 New England Innovation Award from the Smaller Business Association of New England. Acumentrics also sells rugged, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) to the military and other mission-critical markets.