Viessmann Vitovalor 300-P Hydrogen Fuel Cell Combined Heat and Power

Hydrogen as a fuel

Unlike fossil fuels, Hydrogen powered appliances only give off water as a by-product.  The installation of Hydrogen fuel cells like the Viessmann Vitovalor 300-P promise to greatly cut emissions of carbon dioxide and Nox.

New technology?

Hydrogen fuel cells have been manufactured and installed in a huge range of applications for decades and recently in Japan by Panasonic in mass, their installation numbers are in excess now of a quarter of a million units nationwide and they reportedly have a very high reliability rate.   Japan are moving towards Hydrogen as a fuel source over fossil fuels as Hydrogen is not finite in the same way Gas and Coal are.

 

How much Hydrogen is there?

Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the Universe, it accounts for over 90% of all of everything.  However extracting it from the bonds it is found naturally in has, until now not been economically viable.  Gas reformers that can extract Hydrogen from Methane (natural gas) have been scaled down from large steam plant the size of rooms and are now small enough to be installed in homes and offices.

 

Hydrogen Fuel Cells in the U.K

The first domestic Hydrogen Fuel Cells in the U.K have now been installed (as of 05/08/18).  There is one in Scotland, one in Wales and one in England.  Although it seems like it was planned that way it is simply coincidence that they have been spread across nearly all corners of the Isles.

The unit that is being installed is the Viessmann Vitovalor 300-P

A Panasonic Hydrogen Fuel Cell paired with a Viessmann gas boiler work in perfect harmony to supply efficient heating, high pressure hot water and produce electricity in the home.

The Vitovalor creates as much electricity as 30m2 of solar pv and has the benefit of producing it at night and on cloudy days.  It maxes out at 750wh when the cell is running which equates to 16.5kwh per day if fully utilised (it rests for a couple of hours in the middle of the night).

 

How much does the Vitovalor 300-P cost?

The Vitovalor unit is a lot more expensive than a standard boiler but it does so much more.  It is a heating system, hot water cylinder, buffer tank, hydrogen fuel cell producing electricity and has an integrated wireless control module.

If all of the units were bought and installed independently and solar was installed to match the production rate, the installation costs would easily be over £15,000.  Vitovalor prices start from £12,500 for basic installations.

The unit qualifies for multiple incentives as it is classed as a renewable:

  • P.A.C.E funding from E.U countries promoting Hydrogen Fuel Cells
  • Feed in tariff for the electricity production
  • Lowered VAT of 5% on the whole project
  • Export rate for excess energy sold to the grid

Once these incentives are put together it makes the Vitovalor arguably the most cost effective solution over the warranty period of 10 years.

More information on the the Vitovalor can be found at Vitovalor Installer