Ceramic Fuel Cells achieves first BlueGen sale in US BlueGen

Ceramic Fuel Cells (LON:CFU, ASX:CFU) has announced the first sale of its BlueGen gas-to-electricity generator in the United States to one of the country’s largest energy companies.
Ceramic Fuel Cells will now install a BlueGen generator at the energy utility's engineering center in California in September this year. The company’s local partner, California-based energy appliance manufacturer Smart Hybrid Systems, will provide local installation and support services.
Smart Hybrid Systems also plans to develop innovative hybrid fuel cell and energy storage products utilizing the Ceramic Fuel Cells solid oxide fuel cell as the core generator of electricity and heat.

“It is a great achievement for us to have made our first BlueGen sale in the United States, to one of the largest utilities in the country.  Together with our existing sales in Europe, Japan and Australia, this sends a strong message about the size of the global markets that Ceramic Fuel Cells is targeting.  It is exciting for us that large utilities not only in the USA but throughout the western world are investing seriously in low-emission power generation,” said managing director Brendan Dow.

BlueGen uses patented fuel cell technology to convert natural gas into electricity and heat. BlueGen units can generate electricity at a peak electrical efficiency of 60%, which the company says is higher than any other technology in the large global market for small scale electricity generation. When heat is recovered for hot water, total efficiency is up to 85%, twice as efficient as the current power grid.
Since late 2009 Ceramic Fuel Cells has secured orders for 50 BlueGen units from other major utilities and foundation customers in Germany, Switzerland, The Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Japan and Australia, including E.ON Ruhrgas, the German Gas Association, and Osaka Gas.
Ceramic Fuel Cells is also operating fully integrated power and heating products with E.ON UK, GdF Suez and EWE in Germany.
Shares in the company had rallied 6.4% on the news by early afternoon.