The PACE project is making good progress and is on track to achieve its target of installing 2.800 Fuel Cell micro-Cogeneration units across Europe by 2021. As of January 2019, more than 1.200 units have been sold, nearly half of the project’s target number. In comparison to 2017, 2018 saw considerable increases in sales in several countries, with an exponential growth in Belgium thanks to a favourable investment climate. The Fuel Cell micro-Cogeneration manufacturers participating in PACE are stepping up efforts to train professional installers to cope with the rising amount of units sold. In total, more than 300 units have been deployed in households and small businesses to date. All the units installed under the PACE project are remotely monitored and customer satisfaction is tracked. The total number of Fuel Cell micro-Cogeneration units currently deployed in Europe under previous European and national projects, amounts to nearly 5.000 units.
Andreas Ballhausen from manufacturer SOLIDpower looks back at a successful year 2018: “We sold many Fuel Cell micro-Cogeneration units under the PACE programme and introduced our new BlueGEN BG-15 units. With the introduction of this new model, we strengthened our leading position in the market and paved the way for decentralized Fuel Cell micro-Cogeneration to mass market volumes. With the BG-15 we proudly presented the next stage in the development of our advanced and flexible technology. A new model requires additional training for our partners, so our monthly trainings have become bi-monthly to serve both the demand for existing- and new partners”.
Viessmann has the same positive outlook. The company is satisfied with the roll-out of their Fuel Cell micro-Cogeneration unit, the Vitovalor. It entered first the German market in 2014 and thanks to the PACE project, found its way to other European countries. Viessmann is convinced that the introduction of their innovative Vitovalor proves the company’s drive to remain a leading player in the heating industry. Especially in Belgium, it is in high demand. By the end of 2018, more than 200 units had already been sold in the country. Part of the success can be explained by Viessmann’s easy to install and operate Vitovalor. Secondly, European households are increasingly interested in more sustainable and climate friendly home energy solutions. Moreover, in countries where the gas price is low and the retail electricity price is high, generating your own electricity and heat with a Fuel Cell micro-Cogeneration unit becomes economically very interesting.
