Ansaldo Fuel Cells, a Finmeccanica and Ansaldo Energia venture, has teamed up with Enel to sign an agreement to develop, build and test a new combustible cell generator designed with Ansaldo Fuel Cells technology.

The agreement foresees completion by mid-2009 of a high-yield (0.5 MW) plant at the Enel Experimental Park in Livorno.

The plant will be capable of distributing electric energy, heat and cold at the same time. Ansaldo Fuel Cells will supply the plant with a host new components and solutions to guarantee superior performance with respect to older models.

The running of the plant by Enel research personnel will give visibility to combustible cell technology and demonstrate its effectiveness.

The collaboration extends to the development of some of the system components, with particular emphasis on the interface between combustible cells and the electric network.

The cells produce electric and thermal energy with superior efficiency with respect to conventional technology and offer a better environmental compatibility with respect to lower emissions and less noise pollution.