Bloom Energy, SK ecoplant partner for Utility-Scale CHP project in Korea
The partners will use Bloom Energy’s solid oxide fuel cell technology.
Bloom Energy (a supplier of solid oxide fuel cells that produce electricity on-site) announced its first Combined Heat and Power (CHP) project in collaboration with SK ecoplant (the building arm of South Korea’s third-largest conglomerate SK Group).
The new 4.2 MW installation marks South Korea’s first-ever utility-scale solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) CHP initiative leveraging Bloom’s SOFC technology configured in an innovative Power Tower format. Designed for maximum power density in a condensed footprint, the Power Tower will vertically stack 1.8 MW of Bloom Energy Servers in pillar architecture.
The construction works on the project will start later this year in Donghae City. The power generated by Bloom Energy will produce 35,000 MWh/year of highly efficient, clean and resilient electricity while capturing 4 million mega calories of thermal energy through the Power Tower and SK ecoplant’s heat recovery system.
Coupled with a heat recovery system designed by SK ecoplant, the captured thermal energy will provide heat and warm water to the communities nearby Bukpyung Recreational and Sports Center, improving the building’s energy efficiency.
Venkat Venkataraman, CTO of Bloom Energy, said, “We are thrilled to partner with SK ecoplant to bring this innovative and exciting project to life, marking a new milestone for Bloom Energy.”
Justin Wangjae Lee, executive VP of SK ecoplant, commented, “In addition to our existing eco-friendly distributed power generation, we’re excited to explore entry into new, attractive global markets, such as Southeast Asia.”
CHP technology simultaneously uses both the electricity it generates and the excess thermal energy it releases to recover and reuse the heat that would have otherwise been lost during the power generation process.
Bloom Energy plans to promote its CHP technology. The company highly efficient solid oxide technology uses a non-combustion, electrochemical process to produce electricity with reduced carbon emissions and almost without harmful smog-forming particulate matter.
