How will fuel cells, microturbines and the evolution of current engine GenSet technologies stack up in the evolving marketplace?

Emerging fuel cell and microturbine technologies will complement more traditional gas and diesel engine generator sets in telecommunication applications. To understand how the relative merits of these new technologies will compete in future applications, it is necessary to also know how more traditional genset technology is evolving. Cummins Power Generation is developing advanced fuel cell systems and advanced gaseous fuel reciprocating engines under DOE contracts, as well as launching commercial microturbine generating equipment. This paper compares quantified attributes of these evolving power systems against current generator sets in the next five-year time frame and also against the specific needs of a spectrum of telecommunication power requirements in the 5 kW to 1 MW size range.