Sustainability

Bobcat Integrates Stationary Fuel Cells at Manufacturing Plants

May 22, 2024

The fuel cells will allow the company to diversify its energy sources.

Three of the fuel cells in Bismark, North Dakota.

Bobcat has integrated 14 stationary, natural gas-powered fuel cells from HyAxiom at two of its North Dakota manufacturing facilities. The units will operate in parallel with the commercial power grid while "carving a pathway to decarbonization by producing clean energy for the facilities’ operations," it says.

The three fuel cells at the Bismarck facility and the 11 units at the Gwinner location are the first commercial installations of stationary fuel cells in the state. The fuel cells allow Bobcat to diversify its energy sources by supplying a majority of the annual power and heat needs of the Bismarck facility and about half the needs of the Gwinner facility.

“We are proud to be at the forefront of sustainable energy solutions with the installation of these new stationary fuel cells,” said Mike Ballweber, president, in a statement. “This is just one example of our commitment to advancing our facilities today for a better tomorrow.”

“HyAxiom’s stationary fuel cell solutions provide efficient combined heat and power that will help Bobcat improve its operations and continue innovating for the smart job site of the future,” said David Alonso, CCO HyAxiom in a statement.

Utilized in a wide range of applications, HyAxiom’s PureCell M400 is a proprietary phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC) that can use natural gas, hydrogen, LPG or a blend of fuels to produce rapidly deployable baseload electricity and heat that are also resilient, sustainable and affordable.

In Bismarck, Bobcat is able to provide power back to the grid as a registered power producer. This reduces the demand on Bismarck energy providers and ensures there is enough power on the grid.