Reclamation Information Sharing Environment (RISE)

Hydrogen fuel cells have been in operation at Bureau of Reclamation facilities for over 15 years. Starting in 2003, the Eastern Colorado Area Office and Technical Service Center collaborated to install hydrogen fuel cells to provide 48-Volts Direct Current backup power at seven microwave communication sites. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the fuel cells over the approximate 15-year period since their installation and report on their long-term viability, reliability, maintenance cost, and overall cost effectiveness. The study shows fuel cells continue to be cost-effective option for providing backup power at these communication sites and should be considered at other locations that require long-term lower-power backup power.