PEM fuel cells versus diesel generators — which solution to pick?

Hurricane Katrina and the pursuant ruling by the FCC has caused many Telecom operators to review and find solutions to provide extended runtime in critical areas of their network. In the past, lead acid batteries have dominated the backup power market for these sites and the power grid quality was considered robust. Katrina forced operators to look past this and it revealed that lead acid batteries typically only provide up to eight hours of backup for a site. For those sites where operators require extended runtime, a diesel generator was typically the only option. This paper will provide an overview of not only the diesel solution but also for a new solution that utilizes a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) and premium lead acid batteries to provide extended runtime at the site using a 5 kW base station plant, we will examine the architecture and design solutions that will give operators well over 48 hours of backup and in some cases over 160 hours. The PEMFC solution can utilize advanced lead acid front terminal batteries to ease maintenance as well as a robust and cost effective PEMFC engine. Critical areas for the mainstream success of fuel cells include total solution costs, reliability, fuel supply, maintenance and hydrogen storage. The comparative diesel will be the embedded 30 kW solution that is normally found in sites throughout these applications. Issues associated with generator operation include noise, emissions, permitting, fuel supply and maintenance costs will all be examined. The goal will be to show a total cost of ownership for both solutions and educate operators about new approaches for their extended runtime requirements.