FuelCell Energy 2.5 MW Block System (formerly SureSource 3000)
FuelCell Energy's 2.5 MW carbonate system, two 1.25 MW modules on shared balance of plant at 13.8 kV
FuelCell Energy 2.5 MW Block System (formerly SureSource 3000) is one of 12 fuel cells tracked in the SecondWatt catalogue, each with specifications, lead times and indicative secondary-market pricing.
FuelCell Energy 2.5 MW Block System dossier: the SureSource 3000 rename and 2.8 MW legacy rating, carbonate specs, efficiency band and inspection guidance.
The 2.5 MW Block System is the current name for what was the SureSource 3000, and before that the DFC3000. The same 10.7% rating restatement applies: CARB certified the SureSource 3000 at 2.8 MW under Executive Order DG-048 in December 2017, and the current product is rated 2,500 kW. Commercially the machine is two 1.25 MW carbonate modules on shared balance of plant, which is why its heat and fuel figures are exactly double the smaller system. Published specifications: 2,500 kW at 13.8 kVAC and 60 Hz, 50% electrical efficiency LHV at the beginning of operation and 85% total, 6.1 MMBtu/h of heat on natural gas and 6.5 on biogas, fuel input of 19.0 MMBtu/h at 18,315 SCFH, NOx and CO at 0.01 lb/MWh, CO2 at 886 lb/MWh electric-only falling to 517 with full heat recovery, a 72 by 60 by 25 foot 5 inch envelope, 62 dBA at 30 feet and 7.8 gpm of water in against 3.9 gpm discharged. One detail matters for reading used listings. The legacy 3000 datasheet published electrical efficiency as a range of 49% falling to 44% LHV and carbon dioxide as 890 to 990 lb/MWh, while the current 2.5 MW sheet publishes a single 50% figure. A range is the more honest representation of a degrading stack, and a buyer assessing a mid-life or late-cycle unit should assume the lower end rather than the headline.
Why it matters
This is where the category's naming discipline gets tested. One product line has carried four names and three ratings, from DFC3000 through SureSource 3000 at 2.8 MW to the 3000 fuel cell system and now the 2.5 MW Block System at 2,500 kW. A listings pipeline that keys on the marketing name will merge machines that are a decade and 300 kilowatts apart.
Who buys it
Utilities and large campuses procuring multi-megawatt baseload distributed generation, and industrial sites with a matching thermal load. Site-specific derates are normal on this platform: the Amity High School installation in Woodbridge, Connecticut runs a SureSource 3000 at 2.2 MW of baseload power rather than its nameplate.
Role in the data center
Multi-megawatt baseload generation for campuses and utility distributed generation, at a 13.8 kV interconnection rather than the 480 V of the smaller system.
Key specifications
| Rated output | 2,500 kW net AC |
|---|---|
| Legacy nameplate | 2,800 (SureSource 3000, CARB DG-048) kW |
| Voltage and frequency | 13.8 kVAC / 60 Hz |
| Electrical efficiency | 50 at beginning of operation % LHV |
| Legacy published efficiency band | 49 falling to 44 % LHV |
| Total CHP efficiency | 85 % LHV |
| Heat output | 6.1 natural gas / 6.5 biogas MMBtu/h |
| Fuel input | 19.0 MMBtu/h (18,315 SCFH natural gas) |
| NOx and CO | 0.01 lb/MWh |
| CO2 | 886 electric-only, 517 with full heat recovery lb/MWh |
| Dimensions | 72 x 60 x 25 ft 5 in (21.9 x 18.3 x 7.7 m) |
| Water | 7.8 consumption / 3.9 discharge gpm |
| Ramp rate | up to 20 % per minute |
Technical summary
Rated output: 2,500 kW net AC at 13.8 kVAC, 60 Hz Legacy nameplate: 2,800 kW as SureSource 3000, CARB-certified at that rating in 2017 Electrical efficiency: 50% LHV at beginning of operation; total 85% LHV Heat output: 6.1 MMBtu/h natural gas; 6.5 MMBtu/h biogas Fuel input: 19.0 MMBtu/h, 18,315 SCFH natural gas or 31,280 SCFH biogas Hydrogen blend range: 0-50% Emissions: NOx and CO 0.01 lb/MWh; CO2 886 electric-only and 517 with full heat recovery Dimensions: 72 ft x 60 ft x 25 ft 5 in (21.9 x 18.3 x 7.7 m); 62 dBA at 30 ft Water: 7.8 gpm consumption against 3.9 gpm discharge; ambient minus 20 to 120 degrees F Ramp rate: up to 20% per minute; standards ANSI/CSA FC-1, UL 1741, IEEE 1547, CARB 2007 and 2013
Pricing and availability
Trend: up
Lifecycle and maintenance
Carbonate systems are designed around a 25 to 30 year system life with stack modules replaced inside it, at a 5-year target cell design life on legacy modules and 7 years on current production. The manufacturer publishes a 10% to 15% decrease in power and efficiency across the life of a module, and the legacy 3000 datasheet expressed the same thing as an efficiency band falling from 49% to 44% LHV. Balance of plant therefore outlives three to five module generations, which is why value concentrates in module age rather than plant age. Long-term service agreements run up to 20 years and include module exchange, and the agreement permits a new or a used replacement module.
Common failure points
- Stack module end of life — Modules carry a 5-year legacy or 7-year current target cell design life and then need a maker exchange
- Electrolyte loss — Molten carbonate is lost over long exposure through volatilization of alkali chlorides
- Service agreement transferability — Without a transferable agreement the asset cannot be exchanged, serviced or warranted by anyone
- Sulfur and halide contamination — Testing at 5 ppm H2S produced rapid power loss, and organic sulfides and halides remain unsolved
- Second-life modules — The maker may fit a new or used replacement module, so a refurbished plant can hold aged stacks
- Long start-up — A cold unit is not a same-day restart and no published start duration exists
Procurement channels
Direct from FuelCell Energy, overwhelmingly as generation under long-term power purchase agreements. The tradeable unit at this scale is the project company, evidenced by sale-leaseback financings at Tulare and San Bernardino and the Bridgeport whole-plant transfer.
Regional notes
North American 13.8 kVAC and 60 Hz product with CARB 2007 and 2013 compliance. The predecessor was CARB-certified at 2.8 MW under Executive Order DG-048 dated 2017-12-19, which is the cleanest documentary anchor for the legacy rating.