CO2 monitoring equipment for forest research powered by EFOY fuel cell
Forest Research is Great Britain’s principal organisation for forestry and tree related research and is internationally renowned for the provision of evidence and scientific services in support of sustainable forestry.
The Problem
Scientists from Forest Research are running a long-term project to quantify and compare the carbon and greenhouse gas balance of two spruce plantations in Harwood Forest, Northumberland at different points in the forest management cycle – one with mature trees and the other in a clear-felled and restocked area.
The clear-fell site is very remote, with no access to mains electrical power. In the past, a combination of solar panels and batteries were used to power the monitoring equipment, but this increased the risk of power shortages, particularly at night.
The Requirement
The customer needed a solution that offered consistent, reliable power. However, the crucial requirement in this case is a lack of any emissions from power generators. The instruments being powered measure carbon dioxide, so a power supply producing emissions would contaminate the results.
The Solution
Forest Research decided to use an EFOY Pro 2400 Duo from Fuel Cell Systems Ltd (FCSL), integrated with two sets of solar panels and a wind turbine.
The renewable energy providers are connected to their respective charge controllers and passing through a fuse box are connected to two high capacity batteries. The EFOY Pro provides extra charge when the solar panels and wind turbine are not recharging the batteries, predominately at night-time or when there are low wind speeds.
Also, having two methanol fuel cartridges feeding into the fuel cell, gives a long runtime – usually more than a month before refuelling is required. Dr Georgios Xenakis from Forest Research commented “The EFOY Pro, integrated with a system of clean energy, gives a long-term power solution, helping us conduct research in the most remote and challenging places”
Clear felled site