Texas: Atmos Energy and its natural gas-powered fuel cell

Atmos Energy has announced that it has installed a 460-kilowatt natural gas powered-fuel cell at its corporate data center, located in Dallas, Texas. According to the company, the fuel cell will be powered by methane-derived natural gas, which will be captured at landfills and livestock farms, and coupled with carbon offsets. Electricity and heat will be generated through an electrochemical process, which the company says will deliver up to 90% system efficiency with lower emissions. 

Currently, the fuel cell manufacturer is unnamed, but it claims that natural gas-powered fuel cells offset three times more carbon dioxide than either solar or wind, and uses much less land than other renewable energy projects, reportedly generating nearly 500 times more power per square foot a year than solar or wind.

Jennifer Ries, Atmos Energy vice president of pipeline safety, commented: “Natural gas once again proves it plays a pivotal role in lowering greenhouse gas emissions while increasing reliability to our critical facilities.”

She added: “We are excited to have this innovative technology operational and will continue to explore additional pathways to achieve increased reliability and a low carbon energy future.”