In keeping up with their Commitment & Vision to provide clean and green energy alternatives at an affordable cost, h2e Power Systems / MayurRenergy
Solution (a Pune-& Boston-based corporation) in January 2013 signed a contract with the Fraunhofer Institute of Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS, Germany, to develop Solid OxideFuel Cell (SOFC) products for the markets in developing countries. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Siddharth R. Mayur, Managing Director h2e Power Systems / MayurRenergy Solutions, said that Mayur will develop a cost-effective fuel cell product which will help to solve the electricity situation in every Indian home.
Mr. Mayur has an ambitious vision: To alleviate the energy woes of the common man in India and other developing countries thus improving their socio-economic condition by getting them affordable, reliable and clean energy to their door step. This can be one prime example of entrepreneurship with a social conscience.
Mr. Mayur feels that this alliance with the Fraunhofer IKTS will not only help to develop a world class product at local prices, but would also help to train the rural youth on new and renewable technologies and thus provide respectable job opportunities to them. Apart from helping the population in the developing nations to get energy independence, this alliance also is going to generate high volume business in the urban residential segment in the Indian subcontinent. The Fraunhofer team is sharing Mr. Mayur’s vision and feels more than happy to be associated with developing a sort of a revolution for the Indian household and the marginalized farmers in India and other developing nations.
Mr. Mayur is confident that the development of this product will help an average middle class Indian household to live a load shedding free life at an affordable cost, help farmers in India plan their farming activity without worrying about proper supply of electricity and at the same time help to reduce the carbon footprint. This is a win-win solution for all. Mr. Christian Wunderlich (PhD), head of Industrialization Energy Systems department at Fraunhofer IKTS, said that his team was very inspired by Mayur’s vision and hopes that his team can deliver a product which will help to transform lives of millions in India.
One of the biggest opportunities of fuel cell technologies lies in establishing a decentralized electricity generation network in places where it is mostly missed right now. Envisioned is a micro power plant which will be installed in every house. This would not only help to replace polluting products like Diesel Generator sets, but can also make the grid as the secondary source of electricity. The fuel cell product uses hydrocarbons like pipeline natural gas or LPG to generate electricity.
The SOFC technology enables systems with very high efficiencies either as a pure electricity generator or as combined heat, power and cooling application. Mayur’s ultimate vision is to combine solar, wind, biogas and fuel cell technologies to provide energy independence to rural India and thus bringing prosperity and stability to the rural economy. Fraunhofer IKTS will develop the product and transfer the know-how to Mayur, who in turn will work on commercializing the technology. Mayur is already in the process of setting up a world class laboratory for fuel cells and also a manufacturing facility where the fuel cell stacks, reformer and other system components could be manufactured.
Local manufacturing is considered as key step to reach commercially viable product costs.Mayur, who also is a real estate developer in India, has committed to use the product developed in all of their residential and commercial projects. In 2014there will be prototypes in India, which will be used to demonstrate the products capabilities and also to get due approvals and permissions from concerned authorities.
Fraunhofer IKTS is a member of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft in Germany, Europe’s leading organization for applied research. The Fraunhofer model combines research in advanced technologies with customer focused project work including technology transfer to the client. The core competencies of the Fraunhofer IKTScovers high performance structural and functional ceramics and related technologies.
The technologies start from material synthesis and powder processing and end in components and even complete systems to be used for energy, environmental, industrial and medical applications. For more than 20 years the Fraunhofer IKTS is active in the field of SOFC-related R&D work. Key achievements in this field include the eneramic® fuel cell system technology and joint product development programs with industry leading companies like Vaillant, Plansee and Sunfire resulting in commercial or field test ready products.
In 2012, Fraunhofer IKTS has partnered with Fuel Cell Energy Inc. (FCEL) to market and further develop FCEL’s high-temperature fuel cell technology in Europe.