SOFC Solution
Keeping cameras, weather stations, LiDar, SCADA and other monitoring equipment fully operational in all conditions. Adaptive Energy does this by offering highly durable SOFC battery chargers that run on propane and offer reliable low-watt power.
Remote Sites Have Unique Needs
Environmental monitoring equipment is often located at extremely remote sites without reliable access to grid power. Solar and wind are popular power sources at these isolated locations because they need no fuel and little maintenance − and therefore require very few unscheduled site visits.
Repair Visits Can Be Difficult
But long periods of darkness or extremely high winds can reduce a hybrid system’s ability to make power, jeopardizing important weather and environmental data collection. Maintenance visits can be impractical or even impossible at isolated stations or in harsh conditions.
SOFC Bridge Hybrid Power Downtimes
Performer Series SOFC are engineered to integrate with solar, wind or rechargeable batteries to provide reliable offgrid power. They are highly fuel-efficient, require no routine maintenance and will not fail in freezing temperatures, unlike other technologies like thermoelectric generators, proton exchange membrane fuel cells or direct methanol fuel cells.
Integrating a SOFC into the power system for environmental monitoring equipment ensures vital cameras, weather stations, radio networks and more will remain operational at all times, even in extreme weather.
“We drop a two-year supply of propane, four bottles at a time, so we only have to airlift fuel every two years.”
– United States Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration Achieves Record-Breaking Uptimes
Using SOFC to power critical weather cameras along busy aviation paths in Alaska’s harsh climate
Extreme cold and low sunlight were causing frequent outages of solar-powered weather camera stations the agency uses to provide real-time weather data to pilots. Turbines and other technologies weren’t viable due to the remote location and harsh weather. Here’s how the FAA reduced operating costs and achieved record-breaking uptimes with SOFC.
How SOFC Work
When the State of Charge (SOC) of the batteries dips below a preset threshold, the fuel cell automatically cycles on to recharge the batteries. When the upper voltage is reached, the fuel cell returns to standby mode and cools down before powering off. This provides reliable auxiliary power to ensure the system can power the load during times of darkness, high winds and other harsh scenarios.
The fuel cells are the size of a desktop computer and can be mounted inside a weatherproof cabinet or added to an existing structure or small building. And especially if you need to keep your site small, the fuel efficiency of SOFC is a powerful benefit because a single 20-lb propane tank offers 80 run hours.
Benefits of SOFC for Environmental Monitoring
If you need maintenance intervals timed with the seasons, using Performer Series products means you can easily plan site visits according to your schedule. Here are more reasons customers are using SOFC to power offgrid monitoring equipment.
Quiet & Hard to Detect
Efficient
Remote Monitoring
Highly Reliable
Compact, Lightweight Design
Fewer Site Visits Needed
Excel in Extremes
Field-Proven to Withstand Vibration
