AFC hails successful deployment

Guildford-based fuel cell developer AFC Energy said it has successfully deployed an alkaline fuel cell system at Linc energy's underground coal gasification (UGC) demonstration facility in Chinchilla, Australia.So far as AFC is aware, this is the first time that a hydrogen fuel cell has been deployed with UGC and the company is hailing it as a major step towards the opportunity of combining UCG and alkaline fuels cells as a breakthrough technology for cleaner coal worldwide. The board believes that AFC Energy's and Linc Energy's integrated technologies have the potential to offer an enhanced efficiency conversion of coal to electricity, while enabling up to 99% carbon capture. The alkaline fuel cell converts hydrogen to electricity at 60% at an estimated cost per kilowatt hour as low as 4 pence.