Residential Combined Heat and Power (CHP)
The UK Government has estimated that microgeneration products, such as fuel cell CHP, have the potential to supply over one-third of the country's total electricity needs and help meet its environmental obligations. Research commissioned by them has shown that fuel cell CHP has the potential to become the microgeneration 'system of choice', replacing the condensing boiler.
The Ceres CHP product is designed to generate all of the heating and hot water and the majority of the electricity needed by a typical
A home would typically use a boiler to meet its heating and hot water needs, and would use electricity generated by a central power station and transmitted through the mains grid. Central generation wastes a significant proportion of the energy it creates, through heat losses in the power station and in the transmission and distribution network. The Ceres CHP product avoids these losses, and captures the heat for use within the home. This efficiency can save the consumer around 25% of total energy costs, and reduce each home's CO2 emissions by up to 1.5 tonnes per annum in the
The Ceres CHP product is designed to replace a normal boiler, using the same connections and with similar installation and maintenance requirements. The unit is wall mountable and does not require a separate condensing boiler, maximizing the addressable market.
Ceres Power's Differentiated Offering
Ceres Power's technology produces proportionally less heat than engine-powered CHP designs, such as Stirling engine or internal combustion engines, enabling the Ceres CHP product to generate electricity all year round even when the central heating is turned off. Unlike renewables that generate power on an intermittent basis, the CHP product is designed to meet daily and seasonal energy demands in the home by varying its heat and electrical output to maximise achievable savings and avoid wasted energy.
By reducing electrical demand in the home in this way, strain on the mains electrical grid can be reduced.
CHP Product Benefits
A Ceres Power residential fuel cell CHP product has a low heat to power ratio. This means that even during the summer when the home's central heating system is turned off, the heat produced by the CHP product when generating electricity can be stored in a hot water cylinder and used for domestic hot water. Ceres CHP is therefore capable of operating all year round, thereby maximising the energy bill savings through the generation of electricity throughout the year.
Unlike other fuel cell CHP technologies, a Ceres Power product can modulate its power output rapidly and automatically and follow a varying operating load, turning up and down or even on and off as needed. This enables a Ceres CHP product to generate the majority of the electricity requirements of a typical home and provide the ability to deliver truly despatchable power to respond to the grid's needs when it is under most strain and the electricity is most valuable.
The Wall-mountable integrated unit:
- Delivers central heating, hot water and electricity
- Is simple to install, replacing an existing gas boiler
- Is easy to use with automatic operation
Attractive business case:
- Meets home energy usage patterns all year round
- Around 25% annual energy cost savings and 1-2 tonnes CO2 savings
- Attractive economic payback
Addresses global mass markets:
- Attractive differentiated proposition for energy companies
- Product format suited to the majority of European installations
- Compatible with emerging energy service business models