The first apartment block powered by hydrogen through stored fuel cells has opened in Ulsan, South Korea. The Yuldong-With-U complex has 437 homes, which get 100% of their heating and electricity from this clean and efficient energy source.
The first hydrogen-powered apartment block
The project has been operating successfully for a month, and city authorities are assessing the costs of hydrogen-generated heat and electricity. In June, the Yuldong-With-U complex produced 840 MWh of power, which would have cost 150 million won (approximately $108,286) if conventional utilities had been used. This method has proven to be highly cost-effective.
Power for these apartments comes from the Yuldong cogeneration plant, located just 200 meters from the complex. This plant uses hydrogen as a by-product, which is transported through a 10 km pipeline from nearby industries.
On the rooftop of the complex are three container-sized fuel cells with the capacity to generate 1.31 megawatts of electricity from 51 kg of hydrogen per hour. This is enough to power four-person households for a month every hour.
In addition to electricity, the process generates heat, which is captured and stored in a thermal storage tank with a capacity of 40 tons. The heated water reaches temperatures of up to 70 °C and is sent directly to the homes for heating, ensuring efficient use of all the energy produced.
How do fuel cells work?
The fuel cells have multiple advantages over traditional combustion technologies used in many power plants and vehicles. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, fuel cells can operate more efficiently than combustion engines and convert chemical energy from fuel directly into electrical energy with efficiencies of more than 60%. In addition, they operate similarly to batteries, but without running down or needing to be recharged, as long as they are supplied with fuel.
An Ulsan city official reported that amendments to the country’s Electricity Business Law are being considered to allow residents to directly access electricity at a more cost-effective cost. However, at present, due to regulations, hydrogen-generated electricity is sold to Korea Electric Power Corporation.
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Source: Interesting Engineering
Photo: Yuldong-With-U/ Yuldong National Rental Housing
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