FREEPORT, Texas - Dow Chemical Company began drawing on a 75-kW fuel cell this month to help power its Texas Operations site here. The fuel cell, manufactured by General Motors Corporation (GM), marks the initial step in a Dow-GM fuel cell collaboration that was first announced in May 2003.
According to Dow and GM, the 75-kW hydrogen fuel cell generates enough electricity to power 60 average homes for one year. Dow produces the hydrogen needed for the fuel cell as a byproduct of its chemical manufacturing process. To date, Dow has either burned the hydrogen in its boilers or sold it to industrial gas companies.