Going green is great for the planet but saving money is often a more critical imperative for businesses.
So believe the folks at US-based green fuel cell company IdaTech, who are at CommunicAsia2010 to showcase their latest ElectraGen fuel cell system.
Many businesses only switch to green power sources like solar or wind farms when they are enticed by subsidies from governments. However IdaTech says its ElectraGen fuel cells offers cost savings out of the box.
According to CEO Harol Koyama, the ElectraGen fuel cells will deliver up to 50% cost savings over ten years.
“In two years you can break-even on costs,” Koyama said.
The footprint of the ElectraGen fuel cell generator is also smaller and more reliable than a diesel generator that generates electricity in the same class.
These cost savings and the small footprint make the fuel cells suitable as backup generators for remote telco base stations, and this is particularly applicable in Asia Pacific.
“Electricity grids in the region can be unstable,” said Cascadiant CEO Marshall Towe. Cascadiant is a channels partner for IdaTech’s fuel cell business in the telecommunications space.
Towe went on to explain that with power fluctuations, having a reliable back-up power source is important, and IdaTech’s fuel cell technology fits this bill.
A second additional problem is the theft of diesel in remote locations, which is prized as a commodity on the black market. According to Towe, the diesel loss rate is about 25% to 40% annually, depending on the telcos you talk to.
This problem is solved with IdaTech’s fuel cell, as it uses a proprietary menthanol-water fuel mix instead of diesel and is useless to would-be thieves.
Both IdaTech and Cascadiant have piloted projects in the region, like with mobile operator Hutchison in Indonesia in April this year.
Athough Cascadiant is just three months old, Towe is quietly confident. “We’re commercially viable and don’t need government subsidies, unlike other green companies.”