Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. (TMS) has activated a new 1.1MW hydrogen fuel cell generator at its Torrance HQ campus in California. The fuel cell will supply approximately half of the electricity for six headquarters buildings during peak demand.
Designed and built by Ballard Power Systems, the proprietary Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) stationary fuel cell is the largest PEM fuel cell of its kind. The fuel cell is powered by hydrogen fed directly from a pre-existing industrial hydrogen pipeline, also a first for this technology. This direct power source allows Toyota to reduce utility grid electricity usage during peak power demand. The same hydrogen pipeline also supplies a hydrogen filling station adjacent to the TMS campus used to fuel Toyota’s and other manufacturers’ fuel cell hybrid vehicles.
At 1.1MW, the fuel cell system on average provides enough power for about 765 homes, twice the capacity of Toyota’s existing solar panel system on the campus. It is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 3.3 million pounds during summer peak period operating hours, the equivalent to taking 294 cars off the road a year.
Hydrogen within the dedicated pipeline is provided by Air Products and created from natural gas reformation. To mitigate emissions from the reformation process, hydrogen used on Toyota’s campus will be offset with the purchase of landfill-generated bio-gas. Electricity generated by the fuel cell is expected to save Toyota approximately US$130,000 a year in reduced energy purchased from Southern California Edison.
Some additional project funding for TMS’ stationary fuel cell system was provided by Sustainable Development Technology Canada and California’s Self-Generation Incentive Program.
