Toyota to Continue Providing Residential Fuel Cell Cogeneration System for Government Project
 |
Tokyo, Japan, Apr 26, 2007; Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announced today that it plans to continue providing its city-gas-powered 1-kW residential fuel cell cogeneration system to Toho Gas Co., Ltd. (Toho), which is participating in the 2007* Large-Scale Stationary Fuel Cell Demonstration Project of Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) by installing and monitoring the system in ordinary homes.
TMC's residential fuel cell cogeneration system combines a stationary fuel cell - jointly developed with Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin) - and a hot water storage tank. TMC will manufacture 28 units of the system for Toho, which plans to install them in homes in three prefectures (Aichi, Gifu and Mie) of Japan's Tokai District to collect data for a two-year period ending in March 2010.
TMC has positioned global environmental preservation as a priority management issue in terms of its corporate social responsibility and has been actively developing technologies and marketing products that will help solve environmental problems. TMC's continuing research and development of residential fuel cell cogeneration systems is part of this effort.
About TMC supply of fuel cell cogeneration systems
Every year during the three-year period from 2005 through 2007, the New Energy Foundation (NEF), the organization carrying out METI's Large-Scale Stationary Fuel Cell Demonstration Project, has been encouraging energy suppliers to participate in its verification project. TMC, as a fuel cell system manufacturer, provided 24 residential fuel cell cogeneration systems to energy supplier Toho, in 2006.
Outline of the Residential Fuel Cell Cogeneration System
1) Development - TMC and Aisin jointly developed a residential fuel cell cogeneration system by fully utilizing each of their accumulated technologies and expertise: TMC developed the fuel cell and Aisin developed the overall system.
In the period between February and September 2005, two residential fuel cell cogeneration systems were installed at the residential complex for official participants of the 2005 World Exposition, Aichi, Japan (EXPO 2005 Aichi, Japan). A verification test, with the goal of commercialization in multi-unit housing complexes, was conducted.
In July 2006, based on Aichi Prefecture's New Energy Industry Development Program, a residential fuel cell cogeneration system was installed at the Aichi Prefectural Government Office, to begin verification tests to evaluate the system's energy-saving performance and reliability.
2) Main Features - Compact size, highly efficient electricity generation, extremely quiet operation
3) Main Specifications - The residential fuel cell cogeneration system consists of a fuel cell unit and a hot water storage tank.
Stationary fuel cell system (fuel cell unit)
Item Specifications
Fuel cell type Polymer electrolyte
Fuel City gas (13A)
Output 1kW
Rated generation efficiency (LHV) 37% (33% HHV)
Rated total efficiency (LHV) 87% (79% HHV)
Size Height: 900mm; width: 750mm;
depth: 300mm
Weight 150kg (dry weight)
For reference: Hot water storage unit
Item Specifications
Hot water storage tank capacity 150 liters
Hot water temperature Approximately 60 C
Standard function Backup hot water supply function,
fully automatic bath
Size Height: 1,730mm; width: 700mm;
depth: 420mm
Weight 128kg (dry weight)
* Unless noted otherwise, the year mentioned is the business year
starting from April 1 to March 31 of the following year.
Toyota Motor Corporation
Toyota Motor Corporation , established in 1937, is
one of the world's representative automobile manufacturers, producing
vehicles in 26 countries and regions and marketing vehicles in more than
170 countries and regions. In fiscal 2006, Toyota provided nearly eight
million vehicles on a consolidated basis to customers around the world
under the Toyota, Lexus, Daihatsu and Hino brands. Toyota had more than
280,000 employees at the end of fiscal 2006. The company is
headquartered in Aichi, Japan. For more information, please visit
www.toyota.co.jp/en/index.html.
