An ONSI PC25 250kW phosphoric acid system was ordered in 1999 and installed in Basel and put into operation in 2000. This was an attractive proposition due to the potentially high energy efficiency of distributed generation in general and the environmental benefits of using fuel cells. Previously, another PC25 had been operated in Switzerland for roughly 40,000 hours. The high costs of purchasing and operating such a system were partially offset by government subsidies.
Negative points were encountered during the early stages of the project, largely due to a lack of direct contact with the fuel cell manufacturer. However, despite AEB (the operators) having no operational crew and therefore using outside contractors, operation of the fuel cell has generally been successful. Shut-downs have been caused due to the failure of peripheral equipment, such as a temperature sensor, hot water pump and uninterruptible power supply. The system ran uninterrupted for six months from November 2000.
However, a cost comparison with more conventional technology showed that this fuel cell technology is still some way from being commercially competitive. Improvements can be made to maintenance costs, although this is as expected with a new technology. A reduction in price of the PC25 unit would also be useful, although, again, this may occur with increasing sales. A further interesting point is that the present strength of the US dollar has made the commercial purchase of a system from North America more difficult.