Fuel cell to power Army National Guard Armory in Mesa

With the flip of a switch, the new fuel cell at the Arizona Army National Guard Armory in Mesa will be up and running, providing clean, efficient and pollution-free energy. The City of Mesa Utilities Department, the Arizona Army National Guard and the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) are partnering to demonstrate the viability and reliability of the Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell, manufactured by Plug Power.

The 5kW fuel cell, located at the Arizona Army National Guard Armory at 615 N. Center St. in Mesa, will be dedicated at 10 a.m., May 16. Mesa Mayor Keno Hawker, Brigadier General Gregg Maxon and Roch Ducey, a researcher with CERL, will be on hand to commemorate the event.

The unit, which is designed to run unattended, will provide the Armory with reliable, environmentally clean supplemental power that will be used in conjunction with the City's electrical power grid. In addition, the fuel cell will provide emergency power should the grid be interrupted for any reason. The unit is about the size of a commercial refrigerator, and generates enough power and thermal energy to supply a small commercial building or single-family home. Its compact size allows it to be placed in a smaller location, while providing premium energy quietly and largely unnoticed.

The project is sponsored by CERL, a division of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center. The goal of the congressionally funded Department of Defense Fuel Cell Program is to assess fuel cell performance at military installations, and provide feedback to industry in an effort to bring this technology to commercialization.

"Demonstrations such as this one will provide us with real world data about how best to use this emerging technology on military facilities," said Frank Holcomb, DOD fuel cell project leader for CERL. "We have seen the cost for the fuel cells decrease and the availability increase over the course of the three years since we started installing these types of units."

The City of Mesa Utilities Department was chosen as a partner because of its proven track record of installing and operating fuel cells. Since 2000, Mesa has been operating a fuel cell at the Utilities building.

"It is important to remember that this project is not about providing energy to a building; it is opening a window to the future of how electricity will be provided to our customers." said Gerald Paulus, Mesa's gas division director.

The Gas Division will maintain the unit and utilize Smart Signal software to track its performance. The data captured can then be used to improve the reliability of fuel cells in the future.

"Mesa is integrating Smart Signal software, a first of its kind, statistical modeling tool that will monitor the fuel cell's operating characteristics," said Harry Jones, special projects coordinator with the City and project manager. "With this software, we will build a system profile that statistically predicts and avoids unplanned outages."

By operating a fuel cell, the National Guard contributes directly to the environmental quality of the community. Since the process generates electricity without combustion it does not produce nitrous oxide, sulfur dioxide or other combustion-related by-products. The process produces water, electricity, heat and carbon dioxide.

For more information about this project, contact Harry Jones at the City of Mesa at (480) 644-4496 or Jeff Seaton with the Arizona Army National Guard at (602) 267-2743