Brussels, 12th October 2017
On Wednesday, October 11, 2017, the European Association for the Promotion of Cogeneration (COGEN Europe) and the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) officially introduced the PACE project at Autoworld in Brussels, joined by more than 100 participants from the heating and energy industry, policymakers, academia, press and civil society. The PACE project aims to move the Fuel Cell micro-Cogeneration technology — a highly efficient, innovative and sustainable energy system that simultaneously produces heat and electricity for homes and small businesses — to mass market commercialisation. During the day-long event, participants also discussed PACE’s successful predecessor, the ene.field project that installed more than 1,000 units in houses and small businesses in 10 European countries, and debated the potential and challenges of Fuel Cell micro-Cogeneration in Europe.
The PACE project (Pathway to a Competitive European Fuel Cell micro-CHP Market) is a 90 million Euro public-private partnership aimed at ensuring that Fuel Cell micro-Cogeneration in Europe becomes mainstream in the residential market. 37% of the total funding comes from the European Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU), the remaining part is covered by the industrial partners.
“Major European manufacturers, supported by the FCH JU at the EU level and key European national governments, are now committed to bringing the technology closer to mass market by increasing scale and achieving further product cost reductions. PACE will enable manufacturers to establish Fuel Cell micro-Cogeneration as a standard technology”, said Hans Korteweg, Managing Director of COGEN Europe, the Coordinator of the PACE project.
PACE started in 2016 and aims at installing at least 2,500 units by 2021, as part of a manufacturing transition to higher volumes in the order of 10,000 units per year after 2020. This is two and a half times more units installed than during PACE’s preceding project ene.field. During this period PACE will build upon the success of the ene.field project and help manufacturers by reducing costs, improving product performance, establishing Fuel Cell micro-Cogeneration as a standard technology, raising awareness on Fuel Cell micro-Cogeneration, and demonstrating product readiness as a key component in the delivery of Europe’s energy goals.
FCH JU Executive Director Bart Biebuyck said: “The conclusions presented at the event highlight the increasing commitment from the European industry towards Fuel Cell micro-Cogeneration technology. The excellent results of ene.field are now picked-up in project PACE, aiming to take Fuel Cell micro-Cogeneration units closer to commercialisation. As the technology is key to contribute to the decarbonisation of the building and residential sectors, the FCH JU is pleased to see it recognised by various national initiatives stimulating further deployment of sustainable solutions.“
For more information, visit: www.pace-energy.eu
ene.field project demonstrates that Fuel Cell micro-Cogeneration is ready for Market
The ene.field project (2012-2017), which was also co-funded by FCH JU and featured 26 partners from across the heating and energy industry, was able to install 1,046 units into homes and small businesses in ten European countries, thereby surpassing its target of 1,000 units. The final report, presented during the event, summarises the current status of the technology’s capability and potential, including barriers yet to be overcome to reach a mass market. The main conclusions of the ene.field project are that: Fuel Cell micro-Cogeneration (FC micro-CHP) is a highly efficient approach to providing energy for electricity and space heating (hot water or even cooling) suitable for domestic and commercial use. It is an innovative technology at the start of market entry and must gain volume to reduce costs for mass market adoption. For these challenges to be addressed EU and national policy must create a level playing field where renewables, decarbonisation and efficiency can be delivered across different technologies and energy vectors (e.g. electricity, heat, gas), enabling the recognition of the benefits that fuel cell micro-cogeneration has to offer to the customer and at the system level.
For more information on the ene.field project, please visit: www.enefield.eu
For further information, please contact Thomas Vanhauwaert, +32 2 77 28 290
thomas.vanhauwaert@cogeneurope.eu
