Fuel Cells Power Water Level Gauges on Rivers
The Lower Saxony State Agency for Water Management, Coastal Protection and Nature Conservation
The Lower Saxony State Agency for Water Management, Coastal Protection and Nature Conservation (NLWKN) is a governmental authority in Germany responsible for managing the state’s water resources, protecting its coastline, and conserving natural habitats. It oversees flood protection infrastructure, maintains rivers and lakes, monitors environmental conditions, and supports biodiversity through nature conservation efforts.
The Challenge
The NLWKN operates water level gauges on rivers to monitor and share data online. Many stations are in remote areas where grid access is costly. Traditional power sources like batteries and solar panels often fail in winter due to high energy needs and low sunlight. To ensure reliable, year-round operation of these critical monitoring stations, the agency were actively exploring innovative off-grid energy solutions that can withstand harsh environmental conditions and provide consistent power.
The Solution
The NLWKN uses the environmentally friendly EFOY Pro 800 Duo fuel cell (equivalent to the newer EFOY Pro 900), installed in a control cabinet and combined with solar panels in a hybrid setup. This system provides a stable and reliable off-grid power supply for water level monitoring stations throughout the year. It’ s especially useful in remote areas where connecting to the power grid isn ’t practical. Reliable power is essential because any downtime can lead to missing data and reduce the accuracy of long-term water level records.
Result
The EFOY Pro fuel cell provides a reliable off-grid power source for the water level monitoring system, especially during winter when solar energy alone isn ’t enough. Housed in a weather-protected control cabinet, the fuel cell is shielded from harsh conditions and external damage. The data collected by the gauges is transmitted in real time and made freely available to the public through the “My Gauges ” app, a service from www.hochwasserzentralen.de. This ensures that people can stay informed about current water levels and respond more quickly in case of potential flooding.
“The EFOY Pro Fuel Cell provided us with an off-grid, fast and uncomplicated solution. ”
Ralph-Ludwig Gehrke, NLWKN
How it Works
The EFOY continuously monitors the battery voltage, automatically turning on and off to charge the batteries. It effectively acts as a ‘battery charger ’ ensuring that the batteries are kept within the optimal voltage range. Compared to an internal combustion generator, the EFOY fuel cell has few moving parts providing higher levels of reliability and reduced noise levels. The only emissions it produces are tiny amount of carbon dioxide and water.
SFC Energy
FCSL is the preferred partner and sole distributor of the EFOY range of fuel cells in the UK. We have worked in partnership with SFC Energy for over a decade supplying, integrating and supporting the delivery of their market leading fuel cell systems.